


The Price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance

by Corantien



Series: As God Is My Witness [1]
Category: The Exorcist (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Child Murder, Childhood Trauma, Coming In Pants, Domestic Fluff, Emotionally Repressed, Exorcisms, Frottage, Hallucinations, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Insecure Marcus, Jealousy, M/M, Marcus needs a hug, Miscommunication, Murder, Oblivious Tomas, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Pining, Post S02E05, Sexual Repression, Shadow Realm, Slow Build, Tomarcus, Touchstarved Marcus, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-02-07 13:58:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12842643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corantien/pseuds/Corantien
Summary: Marcus and Tomas convince Andy, Rose and the children that they can be of assistance to them in these dark times. They get one shot at proving there is a demonic presence in the house. One darker than they have ever felt before.In the meantime, Marcus struggles with his childhood memories and his feelings towards Tomas. While Tomas goes even deeper into "the Shadow Realm" to make contact with the demons.Will he doom them with this so-called gift from God? Or is it their last chance for salvation...The story starts officially in Chapter Two.Post S02E05Fic had been accidentally deleted by a website error and now it's back up again. I lost all the comments, kudos, bookmarks and views though :'(





	1. There But The Grace Of God, Go I

**Author's Note:**

> The Price Of Liberty Is Eternal Vigilance:  
> I. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few. The manna of popular liberty must be gathered each day or it is rotten. The living sap of today outgrows the dead rind of yesterday. The hand entrusted with power becomes, either from human depravity or esprit de corps, the necessary enemy of the people. Only by continued oversight can the democrat in office be prevented from hardening into a despot; only by unintermitted agitation can a people be sufficiently awake to principle not to let liberty be smothered in material prosperity.”- Wendell Phillips  
> II. This line is also said to be used by Thomas Jefferson and John Curran. None of these uses are conclusive as the words have existed for far longer than these documented incidents that may or may not have been real.  
> III. “Eternal vigilance is not only the price of liberty; eternal vigilance is the price of human decency.” - Brave New World by A. Huxley
> 
> As God Is My Witness:  
> I. An invocation of God as confirmation of the truth of a statement. (Oxford Dictionary)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Used to acknowledge one's good fortune in avoiding another's mistake or misfortune.  
> II. Said when something bad that has happened to someone else could have happened to you.  
> III. Good luck & bad luck.

 

_"That_ is what I see when I close my eyes.”

 


	2. The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions

"Are you sure I can't give you a lift?" Peter asks once more with that knowing soft glow in his eyes.

Marcus nods. "Yes, thank you. I need to get going. Back to my partner."

"The priest? Right. Okay. Thanks for joining me on my trip."

"No, thank _you_ for allowing me to come." the ex-priest slowly replied. His tone of voice suggesting gratefulness for more than just a trip on the boat.

"Happy to help a soul in need." And with those words, Peter started the boat again. Back to the mainland.

It struck a chord in Marcus and he wanted to call Peter back, but before he could think longer about it, a noise from his pocket startled him.

"Tomas?" Marcus spoke urgently into the cell phone. Peter and the emotional boat trip soon forgotten when he heard the panting in his friend's voice.

"Marcus, how far away are you from the house?"

"I don't know. Maybe twenty minutes, why?"

"I need you here at once. The house. The house is possessed. I went in and I..."

"You _what_? I told you not to! For God's sake, Tomas. This situation is serious! I told you I believe you and you lied right to my face!"

"I know! And I am sorry, Marcus! But I swear to you, something called me out here. It can't wait any longer. I really need your help with this. We can't leave this family unprotected. We need to save them before it gets even worse."

Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed loudly. He already felt another one of his migraines coming up.

"Okay, fine. I'll hurry. But Tomas, don't let them see you _yet_. We will go in. _Together_."

"Yes, of course. Thank you, my friend." Tomas answered relieved. Before he could say something more, Marcus ended the call.

The older man looked up at the stars. The boat was completely out of sight now and he sighed once more.

"Please God give me strength. Why have you forsaken me? Show me. Give me guidance."

As usual, Marcus got no reply. So after a blink or two, he hurried back to the house.

 

* * *

 

"Tomas?" Marcus whispered loudly in the vicinity of the house. Looking carefully for any sign of his friend. Over his head, a large cocoon full of some kind of insects hummed. He shivered and went deeper into the trees.

"Tomas?"

Suddenly a hand grasped him by the elbow and pulled him against a tree. Tomas came to stand close in front of him. Glancing around the tree and holding his hand up to let Marcus know not to make a sound.

They could hear a car come up to the house. It was Rose with the other kids. She parked right behind the jeep in front of the home and helped Caleb out of the car. Truck seemed to be crying and Harper closed her sleeping bag close to her for comfort. Her face was white as a sheet.

When they went through the front door, Tomas looked his friend finally in the eyes and Marcus gulped. They were standing so very close and his heart was hammering like crazy. Tomas' pupils were wide and the older man could clearly see how shaken the priest was.

"What happened?"

"I went inside when I saw nobody was home. I heard these... These voices. These sounds."

"What voices? What sounds? What were they saying?" Marcus put his hand on Tomas' shoulder to steady himself on the uneven forest floor.

"I... I don't know. They were urging me. They wanted me to go further into the house and then the lamps and the lights started moving and flickering. I went up the stairs and I felt a presence."

"A dark presence?"

The younger man shivered and his breath was starting to come out in slight gasps.

"Marcus, it was the most evil presence I've ever felt."

Worried about his friend, Marcus started feeling Tomas' pulse and checked his clammy forehead.

"You're still taking those painkillers for your concussion, right?" The memory of a hammer and a heavily bleeding Tomas leaning against a door jamb spooked through his head before he pushed it away. His hand lingering on the white collar before returning to the shaking shoulder.

"Si, Marcus. I have. This is different. And when I was upstairs and saw those hands on the wall. They are the same hands! The same hands on the church I see in my visions."

The ex-priest froze up. This was bad. This was really really bad.

"Bloody Hell, are you still having those? Why didn't you tell me?"

Tomas guiltily looked away. "You don't believe these visions are from God and... I don't want you to feel bad."

"Bad that I lost the connection with God and you haven't." Marcus finished for him. Tomas nodded and looked away. They both got lost in their own thoughts for a moment.

"Look, Tomas... I believe you. That you have a gift. But these visions... We can't be sure they are from God. They could be... Something else. From somewhere else. I don't want you to get hurt."

"It's a sign, Marcus! They are from Him!"

"Okay, tell me what you saw."

"A door slammed open and the voices kept leading me to follow and it led to another staircase. There is this room with drawings. With art. It's dark art. The kind of art that only tortured souls would make.  They reminded me of..."

"The art you saw hanging in my rooms when you came to visit me." Marcus smiled self deprecatingly. "The art of tortured souls. Nice."

Big brown eyes full of apologies stared at him. He couldn't look back. His fingers gripping the shoulder beneath it even tighter.

"They are, I think, of a woman who died here. You remember when they spoke in the village of the suicide? I believe she lived here and it has a connection to the dark presence living here."

They heard wailing coming from inside. The voice of a young boy in despair. When the pitiful sound broke of all went silent again. They waited. Seconds. Minutes. No movement.

"What happened next?"

"I asked it to show itself. It touched me and suddenly I wasn't here anymore but _there_."

"There? You went there again? To the... This shadow realm place or something?"

"Yes, I saw people getting killed. Children. A man killed himself with a shotgun. A woman drowned her son. Someone with a chain killing more children. And it felt... It felt so real."

Tomas touched the side of his face like he could still feel the wounds there.

"I felt drowned. I felt a gunshot. I felt the metal hitting me blow after blow in the face. It hurt so much."

The brown eyes spilt over with tears now and Marcus wanted to embrace the younger man fully, but he didn't know how.

Lights went on in the house and one of the children ran out. It was Shelby. Bible clutched in his hands he sunk on the driveway and fervently started praying.

"I believe it is time we showed ourselves." Marcus slowly murmured.

 

* * *

 

"What are _you_ doing here?" Rose exclaimed when she saw the two men follow Shelby into the kitchen. "I told you I wanted you to leave."

Harper was leaning against the kitchen counter, still clutching the sleeping bag and Truck was crying under a blanket on a bench next to the dinner table.

"Where is Verity?" Marcus asked.

"In her room," Shelby answered at the same time with Harper.

"Can we speak to her?"

"No, I want you both of this house. Right now!" the social worker shouted. Her hand protectively on Caleb's elbow. Holding him effectively back from going to Truck.

"It's fine. I'm here." A hoarse voice interrupted the resulting stare down.

"Verity!" Rose said. Her eyes darting to Truck in fear. The boy in return just burrowed deeper into the blanket. Face down on the table.

Verity went to the whimpering boy. "It's okay, Truck. I'm already fine. I shouldn't have woken you up." Her hand rubbed his back up and down to calm his sobs.

Truck turned his face, covered in snot and tears, upwards to look at his friends. "I... Am... So... Sorry!" He hiccupped through his tears. "I don't remember!"

"I know, Sweetie. I know." Rose intervened. Both women kept rubbing the boys back.

"I told you! Truck would never hurt anyone on purpose!" Caleb said out loud. Staring in the distance through his dark sunglasses.

"Shelby told us what happened. Could you maybe tell us again? Please... Truck?" Tomas asked in the most fatherly voice he possessed. The one he used to calm down his cousin. It said, without actually doing so, that you were not alone in this torment.

"Please, father..." Rose started but Shelby interrupted her. "They are here to help. Please, let them help us." That made her shut her mouth at once.

"Can you tell us what you remember?" Tomas asked again.

"I... I was sitting at the campfire..." Harper handed Truck some paper towels so he could wipe his face and speak more clearly. "And then suddenly... Everything felt dark. I was sleeping I think. And my head hurt. And then I heard shouting and Andy was pulling at me and I opened my eyes and I... I was hurting Verity!" The boy ended again in a wail.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Verity kept repeating.

"Thank you, Truck," Marcus said gratefully. Both men turned their attention towards Verity.

"I can tell you, but maybe not here." The girl was very quick for her age and some privacy would help Truck not to become even more distraught.

When they settled in the living room, Verity took a deep breath and told her part of the story. Rose had stayed in the kitchen with the other children although the door wasn't fully closed so she could intervene at any moment and they could still hear the others in the kitchen.

"So... Truck stayed away for a long time. We think he went peeing. I went after him to check it out."

"Where did you find him?" Tomas asked. His hands clasped under his chain. Raptly listening to the young woman's testimonial.

Her dark eyes flashed in defiance, telling them that she was getting to that point if they would stop interrupting her, before continuing after a deep breath in and out.

"I found him in this abandoned shed. We sometimes go there to play. He was silent and turned towards a wall. I said his name and he was bashing his head against the wall. Like really hard and loud. Like this..." And she demonstrated the tempo with her hand on top of the coffee table.

The rhythm sounded familiar to Tomas. He wisely kept his mouth shut and kept watching Verity.

"I tried to make him stop, but he's a really big guy. Suddenly he turned but it was like... Like he wasn't even seeing me. That's when I thought that maybe he was sleepwalking. It happens. So I tried to snap him out of it. He just grabbed me, lifted me straight up and banged me against the wall. I was so surprised that he's so strong that I at first didn't feel the pain of being choked and banged repeatedly against the wall. I think I shouted? I started seeing black spots, next I know, I'm coughing on the floor and Truck is crying out. He doesn't remember. It wasn't on purpose."

On that note, Verity looked at the men, trying desperately to have them believe her.

"We believe you, Verity. I don't think Truck wanted to hurt you." Marcus calmed her down.

Her shoulders went down with relief. "Now try convincing Rose of that. She'll take him away from our family." The girl bitterly replied.

"That's not up to us to decide. Where is Andy?"

Verity slowly looked upwards.

"Is he in _that_ room? The room with the art and the rotten food?" Tomas whispered hoarsely.

"Something's wrong with him. We arrived and he just left me in the car and stormed up the stairs. Something about how it is all his doing."

The two men shared a look.

 

* * *

 

"After you," Tomas grinned. His torch shining on the door they were about to open.

Marcus rolled his eyes. "How very gallant." He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

The room was completely wrecked. It smelled positively rank. Dark eyes stared at them from all over the place. Black bottomless pits watching them from their positions on the papers scattered all over the floor.

In the middle of the room was Andy. Hugging himself. Crying and mumbling words softly. He was rocking on his feet as if he was cradling someone to him. Or something...

"Andy?" Marcus carefully spoke out.

Nothing.

"Andy?"

The man suddenly stopped mid-movement. His hands came down and he clenched his fist until they were white knuckled. Slowly he turned around and watched the two men in the door opening.

His eyes were anguished and red.

"Please, help me. I think something's wrong with me."

 

* * *

 

"A what?" Rose stared in disbelief.

"I know this is hard to believe, but we think that there is a demonic presence in this house." Tomas calmly explained.

"I know that you guys are exorcists, but really? Another demon? What makes this any different than Harper's case? Andy needs help! After everything, he has been put through! It's understandable that he starts seeing things."

Andy kept quiet. He stared into his steaming teacup. The children around him at the table were quiet too. They had refused to leave the kitchen when Andy finally came down.

"Please, Rose. May I call you Rose? The signs here are completely different." Marcus tried to convince her.

"Signs? What signs? An emotionally distraught man is having hallucinations of his dead wife!"

Andy cringed and Rose faltered in her attempt to speak reason to the others.

"I'm sorry, Andy."

"No, it's fine. It's just... I don't only see my wife... I see this little girl, Grace."

That gave them all a moment of silence until Verity gasped.

"You sometimes talk to yourself and I caught you once playing in the garden and saying her name. Was she with you at that point?"

"Wow, wow, wait a sec. You believe this?" Caleb suddenly spoke up.

"Demon's don't exist, do they?" Harper softly cried out.

"No, honey. Of course, they don't!" Rose replied.

Marcus felt another migraine coming up when all of them started speaking without really listening. Tomas was raising his voice in an effort to be heard. He had enough.

"SHUT IT!" Marcus yelled and he banged the table hard with his hand. It was a miracle the room got quiet in the span of a second.

"Listen, please. Demons exist, yes. But we have to be sure. Give us some time to prove it to you. In the meantime, maybe we can be of help to you while Andy rests."

"Excuse me, you two are not qualified to take care of children." Rose indignantly started. "I will have to call the office and tell them about..."

"No!!" All of the children shouted in chorus.

"Rose, don't! Please! They'll take Truck away!" Caleb said.

"We can work past this, believe us!" Verity also tried to convince the social worker.

"Give us another chance. I believe in father Ortega and Mr Keane. Let them try. We are old enough to take care of ourselves for a couple of days while Andy rests. And then we can be really sure. They make me feel safer. We need this."

Rose hesitated after Shelby's plea.

"Rose..." Andy softly asked her attention. "If they take my family away... It will break me completely."

Her eyes filled with tears. A hand pulled on her hand.

"It feels nice here," Harper confessed in a hurried mumble.

Another long silence filled the kitchen.

"And actually I have been trained as a social worker before I took my vows." Tomas tried to lighten the sphere.

"You have?" Marcus asked.

"Don't be so surprised. I'm great with children."

Even Truck cracked a tiny smile at that.

"Okay... Okay." Rose sighed. "But the moment I see something is going to hurt these children, I will call. _Understood_?"

"Understood." the duo agreed solemnly.

 

* * *

 

Marcus leaned with his back against the closed door of the bedroom. Tomas was clasping his hands behind his neck while slowly laying down on the feathery soft bed.

Whatever did Marcus do to deserve this? He closed his eyes for a moment when he heard Tomas groan in pleasure.

After reaching an agreement, Rose had decided they could all use some rest. Harper would stay with her and Andy would sleep on the couch. He couldn't be upstairs right now. The boys would share as usual and Shelby dared to sleep alone in his own room after father Tomas prayed with him.

While Marcus was waiting for Tomas to stop praying with the kid, he locked up the door to the attic and the sinister art room. For good measure, he placed several crucifixes throughout the house, made a salt line for protection in the hallway and sprinkled holy water on nearly every object in every public room. Night lights were turned on for extra safety and then he turned to Rose, who had been following the procedures sceptically, for further instructions.

"Do you maybe have a barn or a place with carpet we could rest our eyes for a tick?"

Rose looked over at Andy. The man was so unfocused and disoriented that making up a bed on the couch took over twenty minutes. Her hands raked through her hair in frustration before she finally replied.

That won't be necessary if you have no objection to sharing a room. We have one bedroom at the end of the hallway. It's been used as a storage room but I can help you clean it up.

"Thank you. That would be appreciated."

Together they cleared out the room enough for Marcus to see there was only one bed and not two singles as with the children's rooms.

Rose saw him gaze for one second too long towards the old four-poster bed. "Will this be a problem?"

"No... No, we've shared beds. I mean... That is to say. We've been on the road a long time together. There isn't much privacy left." Marcus knew how it must sound but Rose just shrugged. They already had enough on their plate. She had no time to wonder about the dynamics between the priest and the ex-priest. Anyway, it wasn't her business.

"There's a bathroom over there. You share it with Shelby so don't forget to lock the door on his side when you are inside." She pointed at the second door. "There's also a lock on this door but I wish you won't close it in case something happens and the children need us."

"Understood." Marcus slowly replied.

"I'll fetch you some extra towels. We normally have breakfast at 8 but I believe we will all need a lie-in tomorrow."

The older man nodded and she left the room. He turned back to stare at the bed.

"Is this our room?" Tomas' spoke up behind him.

"Yes, you took your bloody time."

Without blinking, the priest threw his duffel bag on the floor and jumped on the bed. "Oh, this is much better than those stinky motel rooms."

"I can sleep in front of the fireplace." Marcus made move to pick up his stuff and leave the room when Tomas halted him.

"What for? The bed is enormous. We can share. I'll take the right."

Surely Tomas must know... But no. How could he know of Marcus'... _Proclivities_...

"Fine, but I'll kick you if you dream out loud in Spanish again about that stupid telenovela."

Tomas snorted and gave a radiant smile as if they hadn't been up for 48 hours straight by now.

"I'll have you know, you uncultured swine, that I happen to love that stupid telenovela."

Marcus groaned and locked himself in the bathroom before Tomas could start another thirty-minute rant about Maria's and José's good qualities. As he was prone to do these last six months on the road.

Shelby wouldn't be too bothered, he hoped, by him taking a shower this late. He tried to avoid looking in the mirror when he undressed. He had seen enough of his scarred, bruised old body. Thank you very much.

The spray of hot water made his tense muscles relax only a tad. He was always on the edge of something. Always prepared for the worst. He tried to remember Peter's lips on his but the only thing he could remember was the blind panic he felt when he confessed too much into the open night air. And how good it felt to say those words out loud to someone who was not judging.

Now he had said them, he couldn't take them back. They kept spooking through his mind after decades of repression. How would Tomas react if he knew of Marcus' past? If he knew all of it? Would he be disgusted? He definitely wouldn't let Marcus sleep in the same bed if he knew what had happened to this worthless body. Marcus thoughts ran bitter and deep. Angrily he brushed away the soap in his hair. Over his body. Not even bothering to treat himself with any soft handedness.

When he was full of self-hate for his past and sadness because of God's silence, he opened the door to the bedroom and was greeted with the sight of Tomas passed out completely on the wrong side of the bed.

All those dark thoughts left his head in an instant. His partner truly was a gorgeous man.

With a frown, he gently pulled off Tomas' shoes and tucked him in. The man mumbled something in Spanish and Marcus swore he heard the name 'José' in all that garbling before turning in himself.

Silently he stared up at the side of the bed from his place on the floor. The throw pillows underneath him were good enough and definitely much better than what he was used to in the orphanage.

His eyes closed and his breathing slowed down. Tomorrow they would get to work. For now, rest was all they needed.


	3. The Devil Finds Work For Idle Hands To Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. If someone doesn't have enough work to occupy them, they are liable to cause or get into trouble.

Marcus' eyes opened at once. Immediately aware of his surroundings. He was not the type to be tossing and turning around all morning. Luckily he wasn't the type neither while he was having nightmares. His shirt was soaked to his chest after the terrors he had this night but as usual, he was still safely tucked away underneath his blanket. A quilt had made its way on top of him. One that hadn't been there when he went to sleep.

Slowly he peeked above the bedside to see the bed has been made immaculately. So Tomas was already up and about. Strange that Marcus hadn't heard. Normally the flapping of a fly's wings was enough to have him staring at the ceiling.

With a long groan, he picked his old body up from the floor. Apparently, the throw pillows weren't enough to keep his body from feeling the cold seeping through the floorboards. His back, neck, hips and knees felt stiff as if he was thirty years older and suffering from arthritis.

Quickly he brushed his teeth and made himself presentable before leaving the bedroom. The pillows and blankets properly stored away for maybe another night. When his feet touched the landing of the staircase, he took a couple of steps back to check the chained door - still locked - before continuing down. Following delicious smells all the way to the kitchen.

Harper was the first to greet him with a smile. She was holding a bowl and a whisk in her hands. Rose said a quiet good morning, her eyes tired and drawn, before carrying on her fight with the coffee machine. Marcus' eyes slowly slid to the source of Harper's mirth. Tomas.

"Good morning, sleepy head." His friend greeted him warmly while turning away from the stove.

"Is that an apron?" Was the first thing that found its way out of Marcus' mouth.

 Tomas flushed lightly and turned back towards the stove.

"Obviously, Harper and I are making breakfast. How's the machine going, Rose?"

The woman - clearly not a morning person - sighed loudly before turning her pleading eyes towards the older man. Marcus saw the peace offering for what it was. A way to connect in a better way than they had until now. Rose probably did it to make the children feel more at ease. And herself.

"Can I help you with that?" Marcus predictably spoke. Answering her kindness to accept him and his friend in this home, with more kindness.

"Yes, thank you." And she started taking plates out while Marcus looked the machine over. Luckily he knew a thing or two about mechanics. After cleaning out the filter, restarting the machine and refilling with fresh coffee beans, it worked as normal.

"Just needed a proper cleaning." Marcus smiled and turned back towards the set table. "What are we having?"

"Pancakes!" Harper gleefully clapped her hands. Already waiting for her portion of delicious fluffy American pancakes.

"Is Tomas always such a chef in the kitchen while you are travelling?"

"You mean if he's a kitchen princess..." Marcus started but Verity's entrance interrupted him.

"Mmm, yes! Pancakes! Awesome! You're hired!" And immediately sat down between Harper and Rose. Marcus quickly took place on Harper's other side.

Truth is that Tomas had indeed been clucking like some mother hen over Marcus' eating habits the last six months. Where Marcus could eat ramen noodles for a month straight, Tomas huffed annoyed and went shopping. Stocking their motel fridges with salads, brown rice, avocado and other hipster stuff. Marcus just ate anything that passed and tickled his fancy. It didn't even have to taste nice. When he was hungry, he ate. That's it. Tomas was still jogging three times a week or more. There have been many evenings were Marcus had to stay five minutes longer in the shower when he had seen Tomas, in his sweaty tracksuit, start his fitness routine.

A blush spread slowly over his neck. Luckily hidden by the scarf he decided to wear that morning. It also - fortunately - covered up some of the scars on his neck.

Verity moaned out loud after her first bite of the pancakes. "Mmm, boy. You can cook! Do you also clean and iron?" She joked.

Tomas ducked his head modestly but nodded with a warm smile in reply. "Thank you."

"So you're kind of Marcus' wife?"

Marcus froze up.

"Verity!" Rose reprimanded the girl.

Tomas started laughing out loud. "You young lady are very curious."

"Can't hurt to ask. I'm gay myself. Some of your people didn't take that so well and hurt me."

Tomas' smiled immediately died down.

"I am so very sorry."

"Doesn't matter. It was a long time ago."

"It does matter. I am sorry you had to have that happen to you. They were not real servants of God if they judged you so. Nothing is wrong with you."

Silence followed after that.

"Thanks... I guess." Verity awkwardly said and then begged for more pancakes. Effectively shutting the conversation down.

Marcus knew Tomas was a progressive Catholic but it was the first time he openly consoled a lesbian. He filed that information away for whenever.

"Ooh, pancakes," Shelby said and quickly sat down before the other two boys came in. Fighting for a place.

"Sit next to me, Truck," Verity said while patting the empty chair next to her.

Truck came completely red in the face and slowly seated himself next to the older girl.

"Are you sure?" He whispered.

"We're family." She smiled at him. His answering grin made the others at the table chuckle.

"Andy is in the shower, but he said we could start without him," Rose said and her eyes fell on the children who were already eating. "Even if you wouldn't have waited in any case."

Shelby passed the platter with warm pancakes over to Marcus who still had none. Quickly he shuffled a couple of them on top of each other on his plate.

"Try them with syrup," Tomas said and passed the bottle to Marcus without waiting for a reply. Marcus dripped some of it over his pancakes and started eating methodically. Not even tasting his food.

"Dude, you're eating like we're about to steal your food." Verity joked. The boys started laughing. Marcus halting his eating. He wasn't used to eating with others and Tomas never seemed to be looking at him while they were eating. Like he was giving Marcus privacy to eat in peace. He tried to see himself like the others would and he did indeed eat like he was afraid they were going to steal his food.

Shoulders hunched, head bowed over his plate, his free arm curled around it to keep from others seeing his food and quickly shoving pieces into his mouth with his fork. Not very appetizing to look at in any case. Shame curled into the bottom of his stomach and suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore but he had learned from a young age that food was not to be wasted even if his stomach rebelled against the thought to eat further.

Slowly he lifted himself from his cramped position and tried to chew more than five times per bite. his eyes quickly flitted around the table. The others were immediately preoccupied with their own plates after Verity's comment. Not even bothering to wait for a retort from him. Only Tomas quickly looked at him. Marcus swallowed.

"It's delicious." He nearly stammered to his friend.

Tomas turned completely to take a really good look at him for the first time that day.

"Thank you. It's the first time you complimented my cooking."

Now the shame was climbing up into his lungs. Blocking his airways.

"I... I'm not used to eating with company." Marcus admitted without making eye contact. his shoulders started hunching again.

"I know, Marcus. It's okay."

How many times had Tomas thought Marcus didn't appreciate the way he looked after the old lion. How he followed his every command and whenever he disobeyed - the very few times it actually happened - Marcus nearly bites his head off. Also, it couldn't have been nice to be eating with a man devouring his every meal like it was going to be his last.

He knew it would be obvious now, but he couldn't do anything less than slowing his eating down to a normal tempo. In reply, he got only a slowly turned mouth corner from the younger man.

"After breakfast, we can check the perimeter?" Marcus proposed. Checking the perimeter was code for catching up on any details _and_ checking the perimeter.

"Sure. After you do the dishes."

Marcus was astonished.

 

* * *

 

"I'm an exorcist. Not some God damn cleaning maid." Was the first thing a fuming Marcus said to Tomas who had been waiting on the front porch for Marcus to finish the dishes.

"There's a wet spot with mould in the corner of the hallway. Have you seen it?" Tomas replied in return. Ignoring Marcus' outrage like he only could.

Marcus calmed down at once and gazed around calculatingly.

"Yes, I saw. I asked that doctor to let us know when the test results came in about the birds. Have you seen those cocoons yet hanging in the trees?"

"Shelby says they always nest here this time of year."

"Yeah, but so many?"

"Harper told me, while I was making breakfast, about the well were Caleb almost fell in a couple of nights ago."

"He almost fell in?"

"She said he sleepwalked there at night."

"A lot of sleepwalking happening around these parts," Marcus muttered.

"Shall we go check it out? It's supposed to be that way?"

Without another word the men, trekked all the way through the woods until they spotted the old forsaken cabin.

"Now where's that we..." Tomas started until he abruptly fell still. His eyes frozen upon the well.

"Tomas?" No reaction.

"Tomas?" Marcus grabbed his friend's wrist. "Tomas?"

With a loud gasp, Tomas came back into himself.

"It's the same well. The well where the boy was drowned by his mother."

Marcus didn't know what to say to that. On the one hand, he was jealous of Tomas' ability to see all this extra intel that could really help them and if it was God's gift... Why wasn't he blessed with it? He had been such a loyal follower ever since he could remember. On the other hand, he was worried. What if it was a demonic possession that gave Tomas this power?

"Did you see anything else?"

"I... Maybe we should check the inside of the cabin. It's where Truck started banging his head against the wall."

Nothing more turned up except some trash they found in the corner. Probably from the kids when they played there and had left their empty bags of crisps and candy wrappers.

"We should head back. Talk with Andy."

"Okay," Tomas answered with a frown. It was as if he was desperately trying to get into the Shadow Realm again.

Marcus kept his eyes glued to the broad back in front of him the whole trip back to the house.

 

* * *

 

The three men were sitting alone in the parlour. Tea mugs filled to the brim. Transfixed Marcus followed the steam circling up in the air. The longer they had been working together, the more he had let Tomas lead the conversation. People were more at ease with a young father Tomas than with the harsh-lined face of a lived-down ex-priest.

"Can you tell me when you started seeing Grace? If you can, please?"

Andy took a deep breath and stared out the window. Seeing something only he could see.

"When... When my wife committed suicide in the lake. I felt so alone. So angry with myself for not seeing she needed psychological help... I gave up for a while. Trying to live with myself. But I had two kids in the house that needed me so I put my grief aside and worked with them. At night I painted and drew and tried to give my pain a place. It didn't work. It was just to... To..." Andy trailed off.

"I understand. I am very sorry for your loss. Was that when Grace started appearing?"

"Yes. One evening I went up to the attic. Forgetting to eat. Forgetting to sleep. And when I turned the doorknob and opened the door there was this whole different room. A girl's room. With pretty drawing and pink pillows. White lace curtains and dolls. I didn't understand and I looked at the bed and there she was. The cutest little girl and she stretched her hands towards me and I didn't question it, I just knew I had to hold her. She was mine and Nikki's if we ever had a child together. I knew she must be a hallucination but I needed it. I kept on needing it."

"Was she always this sweet little girl?"

"At first, yes. But then whenever I started spending more time with the other kids she became more demanding. She wanted more toys. She drew angry people and started wearing a pillowcase over her head. Grace didn't want to go outside. She needed me."

"She needed you to pay her more attention?"

Yes! Exactly! She's special, you understand. I mean, she's not real, I... I'm confused. She feels so real."

"Is she here with us now?"

Andy looked around and shook his head.

"No, she isn't."

"Could you let us know if she's here? Please?"

"I... I don't know. What will you do with her?"

"We won't hurt her. We just want to ask what she's doing here."

"I... I'll try."

"Thank you. That's all we ask." Tomas gently patted Andy's hand. "I'll go check-up on Shelby. I promised him to explain some things to him from the Bible."

"Yes, thank you. I... I'll be here." Andy nodded and gazed back out the window. His tea long forgotten.

Marcus followed Tomas out of the room like a shadow.

Tomas abruptly turned to the older man once they were alone.

"Have you ever heard of this kind of demons? She has been with him for years and never before was she this aggressive. What could have triggered her? Our arrival? Harper's arrival? Maybe it's connected to Chicago?"

"She may not have been aggressive - until now- but she has been feeding off of Andy's power. He's resisting her more and more because of the number of children he has to take care of. She's jealous."

"A jealous demon that wants a daddy?" Tomas grimaced. "That is so wrong on so many levels."

"There are worse things in life." Marcus pointed out.

"Like what?" The priest grinned.

_"You like that boy? Yeah, you like that? You worthless cunt!"_

"Marcus? Marcus?"

"Yes?"

"You suddenly zoned out. Is everything alright?"

"Euh, yes. Yes. Sorry. Tired. Didn't sleep too well last night." Marcus quickly lied through his teeth.

"I told you, you could've slept in the bed next to me. It's not a problem."

"It wouldn't be if you weren't such a mattress hog."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am... Where are you going?"

"Grabbing my kit. Time to confront a demonic girl with daddy issues." Marcus threw back over his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

"If you have me bless one more time, I will throw my Bible at your face." Tomas sighed exhaustedly.

They had been at it for hours. Covering every square inch of the room. Trying to get a rise out of the demon. Nothing so far.

"Just one more time. Tell me. Where did you stand? Where did the sound come from?"

"I came inside. Walked on to this spot." Tomas demonstrated it for the tenth time. "I heard this noise and it came from down here." He pointed at the painting. "Then it stopped and things started to float and the sound restarted. This time more from this spot." He waved his arm in the general direction of the left corner of the room towards the sloped ceiling.

Marcus knocked on the ceiling several times to hear any change in depth. Still nothing.

"Can we... Can we please take a break?" Tomas looked out the window. It had turned dark. They had ignored Verity's call of lunch and dinner was probably well on its way to being cold.

"Do you remember which objects started floating? What did you hear when you went into the vision?"

"Marcus. _Please_."

Marcus snarled annoyed at his friend and then halted his sound when he saw Tomas. The younger man was pale and rubbing his head.

"Your head still hurting?"

"Si."

"You took you..."

"Yes, I took my painkillers. We didn't take a break for over eight hours straight. No food since this morning and I believe we may be dehydrated. What we need... Is a break."

"Fine," Marcus growled. "But only because your head had an unfortunate meeting with a hammer. Otherwise, I could keep this up all night."

"I know you could," Tomas muttered.

"What do you mean with that, eh?"

"Nothing. Let's just... Let's just go downstairs? Okay? _Pendejo_."

"What was that last word? Tomas?"

But Tomas was already going down the stairs, two at a time. With one last warning look around the attic, Marcus followed. Ready to throw an epic sulk until Tomas apologized. He _knew_ Marcus knew Spanish.

 

* * *

 

"We left some spaghetti with meatballs in the fridge," Rose said. She was braiding Harper's hair while watching Verity and Truck play a race car game on the PlayStation. Shelby was in the corner - comfortably seated on a sofa - reading a book.

"Where is Andy?" Marcus suspiciously asked.

"Helping Caleb sort through his old plates. There's going to be a market this weekend and they want to see if there are some they can sell to buy the boy new ones."

Eased by Rose's answer, Marcus stormed into the kitchen, leaving Tomas to thank them for the leftover food.

"It's a gentle night. Let's eat outside. Get some fresh air." Tomas proposed.

Marcus was watching his food turning around in the microwave.

"Fine. Fresh air on our hike this morning wasn't enough?"

Tomas just grabbed two bottles of water and some cutlery. Leaving the room without a word. Marcus grunted and felt very generous when he warmed the second plate.

With his back, he pushed open the door and then firmly halted in his tracks.

" _Peter_?"

"Hi, Marcus. I just met father Tomas right here."

 

 


	4. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. To have two choices that are both equally unpleasant or not convenient.

"Are... Are you here with news about the birds?" Marcus said. His eyes darting from Tomas to Peter and back.

Peter seemed to understand and nodded.

"Yes, is Andy home? Better if I have to tell it only once."

"Andy is resting, but I'll get Rose. The children's social worker." Tomas said and slipped back indoors.

"He doesn't know?" Peter lowly asked.

"No, he doesn't." It was obvious how nervous he was. Having the two men meet each other without having the time to mentally prepare. Especially because he missed the introduction and couldn't lead from here without knowing the start.

"It's fine, Marcus. Really. Ah, Andy!"

Andy came outside with Tomas and Rose.

"What can you tell us about the birds?" The man of the house asked.

"That it's definitely not natural causes pulling them here. I sent out an alert to neighbouring islands and asked the coast guard to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour but it seems it has only happened here. Like something pulled them this way. I am going to the Archives tomorrow to see if this has happened before. Maybe it has something to do with their mating or nesting behaviours."

"So... It _is_ suspicious?" Andy glanced at Rose. "Something else?"

"The cocooning. It is also strange and only happening in this part of the region. Do you mind if I return tomorrow and take some extra samples? I'll be back around 16 from the Archives and may have more news."

"Yes, of course. Please, stay for dinner. We eat around 7 PM. Enough time for you to gather samples?"

"More than enough. Thank you. I... I guess I'll see you, gentlemen, tomorrow too?"

Marcus turned to Tomas and Rose. Both nodded.

"Yes, until tomorrow. Thank you, doctor."

Peter grimaced slightly and gave a slight wave before disappearing back into the dark.

"Guess we'll overstay our welcome," Marcus noted.

Rose looked as if she smelled something sour but the gratefulness in Andy's look had her swallow in words.

"Tomorrow we'll know more," she concluded.

 

* * *

 

"Where are you going?" Marcus asked full of disbelief.

"To bed. Like all the others." Tomas' face was like 'duh, dummy'.

"We will not be going to bed until you can identify every flying object from the attic."

"Yes, Sir." Tomas groaned. Without any more grumbling, he went to the attic giving Marcus a lovely view of his backside while he was stewing about his terrible phrasing earlier.

Going to bed... It sounded like they would be...

"So, this floated?" Marcus pointed at a random piece of rubble on the floor. Tomas just sighed deeply.

 

* * *

 

The sun nearly came up before they went to bed. Tomas too tired to even climb under the covers. Marcus made an attempt to cover him with a quilt before succumbing himself to the - no doubt -dark dreams waiting for him.

It seemed only a minute ago that he closed his eyes when a howl woke him up. It was Tomas. Shouting like he was being murdered in his sleep.

"Tomas! Tomas! Wake up! It's a bad dream!"

"Don't you touch her!" Tomas shouted. "Madre de Dios! Don't you touch her!"

"Tomas!"

Tomas' eyes snapped open and with an agile twist of his body he threw Marcus on his back on the bed and crawled on top of him. Hands closing around his neck. He was completely out of it.

Marcus threw up his knee to plant it between them and pushed with all his might. Throwing Tomas to the end of the bed. The younger man scrambled for purchase and flew straight back on top of the ex-priest.

"The power of God compels you!" Tomas shouted in several languages while keeping Marcus down.

"I am not possessed, you moron!"

"Ma... Marcus?" Tomas whispers alarmed.

"Honestly? _Moron_ gets you back? _Really_? No, Jessica, of course, it's Marcus you imbecile. Where were you, Tomas? Were you back into the Shadow Realm again?"

"No... No, I think it was a dream. I..."

"Okay, let's try to calm down. And... Tomas. Get off me." Marcus suddenly realized their positions were quite inappropriate. And again with the dirty phrasing in his head.

"Sorry," Tomas mumbled ashamed and clambered off to sit back on his haunches. His chest rapidly moving with every breath he took.

"Tell me what happened," Marcus commanded. Trying not to notice Tomas' trembling thighs and clenching fists.

"I... I was in another country. The people spoke differently. People were shouting. A man and a woman."

"What were they saying?"

"I don't know. I couldn't understand, but I think they were drunk. Then suddenly the man draws a hammer out of nowhere..."

Marcus' world plummeted.

"Did he hit her with it?"

"Yes. Yes, he did." Tears were streaming freely over the younger man's cheeks. "It was awful. I tried to help her, but I couldn't. I couldn't move. They didn't hear me. Her head was bleeding and her skull it was..." Tomas dry heaved at the memory of it.

"Was her brain hanging out of the side of her head?"

That had Tomas running to the toilet and throwing up whatever was left of the meatballs from the evening before.

When he was done, he slowly turned from his position on his knees in front of the porcelain to look back through the door at a frozen Marcus on the bed.

"How... How did you know? Did you dream it too?"

"No, I didn't _dream_ it."

Marcus could see Tomas trying to process that piece of information. His expression went from perplexed to confused to horrified in an instant.

"Those were your parents." He whispered full of regret.

Marcus couldn't deny it. He couldn't stay calm. So he did what he did best. He got angry.

"Why is it that _you_ get to see these things? I don't share my past! _Why_ are you seeing this?"

He pointed his finger in anger at the man on the floor - when had he advanced into the bathroom - and plunged his hands into the sweat-soaked shirt of his trembling friend.

"I don't know! I don't know why I saw that! God must have a reas..."

" _God_? God!" Marcus scoffed. "This is obviously the work of the Devil. He's trying to turn you from me. Or to turn me from you. I can't work with you if you are emotionally compromised!"

"And aren't you emotionally compromised?" Tomas barked back. Finally finding back his strength. "I didn't choose this! But I saw it anyway! There must be a reason, so don't blame me. I can't help it any more than you can help it!'

"But I did chose this life so why am I not chosen??"

Finally, the truth was out there. Jealousy.

"Maybe you have.."

"Another purpose? Yeah, I've heard that one before. My only purpose seems to be keeping you alive and teaching you. And then what? I crawl into a hole and just die like the worthless scum my parents were?"

Marcus had been shaking Tomas during his rant and Tomas let him.

"I need you." The priest says. Looking up in those fucking sad brown eyes.

"You _need_ me to teach you. Otherwise, I'm useless. I've lost my powers. God doesn't love me. He doesn't love anybody."

"You are being tested. Don't give up. Keep believing."

"Look at you! If you ever get excommunicated you can work in a motivational poster factory!"

"Marcus... How... Why are you so angry at me? You know I can't help this."

"I..." Marcus stopped. Tomas deserved the truth. The man hadn't left his side for six months. Through thick and thin he has proven his loyalty to Marcus.

"I just..." His mouth ran dry and his eyes flicked for a second towards Tomas' lips before looking back up into those deep dark eyes full of warmth. Never pity. Only compassion.

"I don't want people knowing about my past."

"Why?"

"It's not pretty... I'm not pretty."

"The world's not a pretty place."

Marcus huffs. "You know what to say at the exact right time, don't you?"

"Part of my charm. Now help me get up. We can still try to get a couple more hours in before we wake everyone in the house with our shouting."

When both of them - with the proper distance between - were tucked back into bed. They stared in silence at the ceiling.

"Can I ask you one more question?" Tomas whispers. Afraid to even ask.

"Depends."

"In my dream... Did you... I mean... I saw myself looking towards... Did you..." His courage evidently failed him as the sentenced died there.

Marcus hesitated.

"I did." He finally replied before turning his back towards his friend.

Both of them didn't sleep much after that.

 

* * *

 

"Are you alright, father Tomas?" Was the first thing Marcus heard Shelby ask the moment they went downstairs.

"I heard shouting early this morning..." The boy was worried about the priest. Of course not for the older man. Marcus snorted at his own self-pity.

"Yes, thank you. We're both fine. I had a bad dream. This sometimes happens in our line of work. I am completely alright now." Tomas calmed the young man down.

"Okay then." And with a glance over Tomas' shoulder to Marcus, he leaned closer. "Andy's been acting weird this morning."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, weird."

"How so?"

"He's not really... Focused. I know he's been out of it these last couple of days but he lost his temper when I said my morning prayer. That has never happened before."

"Thank you for trusting us with this. We shall be down shortly."

Shelby nodded and drifted downstairs.

"Marcus... What if we have been looking in the wrong place?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if the demon isn't anchored towards the place, but is already anchored onto a person?"

"You think it's trying to integrate with Andy?"

"It followed him when they went camping.We should have checked him first before we tried anything with the room."

"Yes, but there was a presence when he wasn't home and you were here alone. So she - I mean it - _can_ be separated. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"I once saw something similar maybe. In Stuttgart, Germany. There was this jealous presence, trying to prevent the owner from his home. Whenever he did leave, she didn't follow."

"But Grace does. We know for sure she can be jealous too."

"What if she is even more powerful and tries calling Andy back whatever means necessary?"

"She follows him _and_ binds him to this place that way? So she is both bound to this place and to a human?"

"It's possible. I've never seen anything like this before but we can test this."

"How?"

"We get Andy out of the house."

 

* * *

 

"Why do you want me to come all the way out of here?" Rose asks. She swaddles herself in another one of her sweaters. Autumn was coming and a slight rain was setting in.

"We have a plan." Tomas started.

"You have?"

"Yes, but we need your help. We want to put the children's safety first."

"I should hope so. What is this so-called plan?"

"We believe the demon is bound to Andy and to the house. That it's a jealous spirit that wants Andy and this place to itself. Even going so far as to try to eliminate the other children when they seem to be keeping Andy away from its home."

"Oh... Okay."

"I see you don't believe us." Marcus started. His tone much less patient than that of Tomas.

"No, I don't."

"Things start acting up when Harper and you arrive. When we arrive. Things happen more quickly. Caleb on the well. Truck trying to take out Verity. She's jealous."

"She?"

"Grace. She feeds off of Andy and it's getting too crowded for her taste."

"So... Your plan is to... What exactly?"

"We need to know if it's true. If she would appear when Andy tries to leave. As long as he stays, everything is fine. If he tries to get away from her, she gets mad."

"What could happen to the kids?"

"She could make them 'sleepwalk' again. Act against their own. It can be pretty drastic and its entirely unpredictable."

"How do you plan to keep the children safe?"

"There's a fair in a couple of days, no?"

"Yeah, the yearly market. Vintage stuff, fresh produce, what of it?"

"You will all be visiting?"

"Yes..."

"Leave us alone with Andy. Take the children with you."

"What are you going to do with Andy?"

"We're going to try to get Grace to show herself to us."

"And if there's nothing?"

"Then we'll be gone by the end of this weekend. Wouldn't you like that?"

Now _that_ was something Rose would shake hands on.

 

* * *

 

"Mr Keane?"

Marcus had just returned from picking some of his notes from the bedroom when a sweet voice halted him in his tracks.

"Yes, Harper?"

"Can... Can you come here for a moment?"

Glancing down the hall and after quickly checking the unmoved locks of the door to the attic, he stepped inside her shared room with Verity.

"Please, sit next to me. Verity made me this lamp."

Together they watched the lights change on the wall. The sunset was making the colours even prettier than usual. Sometimes the light didn't change but after a swift tap on its side, it started all over again.

Marcus wasn't one for small talk.

"It's a pretty lamp."

"Do demons exist?"

Now that was an abrupt subject change if Marcus ever heard one.

"Yes."

"Was my mommy possessed? Is that why she hurt me?"

"Sometimes people hurt each other because they are hurting themselves. Inside their heads."

"My mommy was crazy?"

"Not crazy. She just needs help so everything will become clear again to you. I am sure she loves you very much but after everything she's been through her emotions are all muddled up. In the meantime, you have a family that takes you in and cherishes you."

"Do you have parents?"

"No, they died a long time ago."

Something in his voice must have alerted Harper.

"Did they hurt you?"

"Sometimes."

"So people that love you, hurt you? Is that normal?"

"No, not normal. It just happens."

"Do you hurt other people?"

"All the time."

"I don't think you mean it. Hurting other people, I mean."

"Mostly I don't."

"Then why do you do it?"

Marcus thought for a moment.

"I think it's better to push people away before they can hurt you."

"You hurt them first before they hurt you?"

"Simple said." The truth comes out of child's mouth.

"Then who will ever get close to love you?"

"Nobody loves me."

"I think I love you. You saved me. So I will always carry a part of you with me and you of me with you. Father Tomas loves you."

"Yes, my sweet darling child. I will always carry a part of you with me."

"Can you sing a song for me?"

"I don't know any."

"Sure you do!" Harper smiled.

Marcus took a deep breath and started singing. An old nursery song his mother used to sing when she was in one of her melancholic moods.

"Come all you fair and tender girls,  That flourish in your prime, Beware, beware, keep your garden fair, Let no man steal your thyme, Let no man steal your thyme."

Harper kept looking at him full of expectations so he continued.

"For when your thyme it is past and gone, He'll care no more for you, And every place where your thyme was waste, Will all spread o'er with rue, Will all spread o'er with rue."

His voice was starting to tremble. He could clearly see his mother sitting at the window. The darkening day lighting her pale features.

"The gardener's son was standing by, Three flowers he gave to me, The pink, the blue, and the violent true, And the red, red, rosy tree, And the red, red, rosy tree. But I refuse the red rose bush,  And gained the willow tree,  That all the world may plainly see, How my love slighted me, How my love slighted me."

"Thank you." Harper murmured and put her head on his upper arm to rest.

They sat there for a long time. Not knowing that Tomas - who had been en route to the bedroom - had stopped to eavesdrop and heard everything.

 

 


	5. He Who Sups With The Devil Should Use A Long Spoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. A person who has dealings with a dangerous or wily person should be cautious.

Marcus tried to ignore how Peter's knee was leaning against his own under the cover of the dinner table. How - when he passed over a bowl of food - their fingers lingered. It made his neck warm up and he furtively glanced over if anyone else at the table had noticed.

The children were rather quiet and only Andy and Rose really tried to keep the conversation going. Tomas seemed to be lost in thoughts and Marcus tried not to think too long about the possible reasons for that.

They had agreed to wait until after dinner for Peter's new information so they wouldn't alarm the children. In the meantime, a light salad with some salmon got prepared by Andy with help from Tomas and Verity. Harper had been so proud when she could help cut the carrots. She confessed to - having been so long bed-ridden - glad to be able to help with normal chores. She never once complained when she had to do any cleaning or cooking. Harper was actually always the first to offer help and she didn't want to stray too far from Marcus' side. Making it impossible for Marcus to leave the kitchen so he had to sit there for over an hour. Watching Tomas and Andy prepare the food.

Tomas had dropped a cutting board, knife and some onions in front of him.

"You can make yourself useful." The younger man had cheekily said.

"You just want to see me cry." Marcus had muttered but cut the onions anyway.

And now they were all around the table, enjoying the delicious food while Andy tried desperately to remind the children that he was there for them by keeping the conversation going. Shelby and Verity were old enough to understand what he was trying and in return, they did their best. It was obvious that the stranger - namely Peter - at their table made them all more shy than usual.

Peter mainly focused on the general conversation flow while stealing small touches with Marcus. Marcus liked the touches. He wasn't used to them, but they were warm and well-meant. He did regret sharing too much information with the doctor because that was all he could keep thinking about. Shame. Regret. And he felt guilty. Tomas was right there. Sitting in front of him and here was he. Touching knees with another man right under the table. So all in all dinner felt like a tortuous affair to him.

When it was finally done - the children retreated to the living room for some board games. Rose left with them but came back once they were all settled. Now the adults could talk without being disturbed. Andy refilled their wine glasses halfway. Not too much - so they would stay focused - but enough to oil their social skills.

"So, did you find anything useful in the Archives?" Tomas started. Straight to the point.

Peter took a deep breath and nodded with a grim face.

"It seems this has been an occurring event. It is strange that nobody picked up on it."

"Occurring? How so? It's the first time this has happened while we are living here." Andy wondered out loud.

"There have been reported incidents over fifty years ago and once more in the twenties. And that's not the only thing. I read reports of crops failing and animal farms getting born with defects in those same periods."

"Animal defects?"

"Yes. Monstrous. Born dead or not-fully-formed. Very strange. I tried to link it with other happenings in the wildlife but these are the only ones. I'll know more when I take the cocoon samples back to the lab. See if they have any defects too."

"Shelby saw a lamb being born with our neighbours. They had to kill it because it was... Abnormal." Andy whispered full of horror.

"So it's happening again? Could it be something in the water? Maybe a leak somewhere?" Rose tried to rationalize.

"I didn't find any signs of some sort of chemical leak. The birds don't mate here this time of year and there hasn't happened anything to disorient them during their flight. It's all very suspicious." Peter concluded with a frown toward Tomas.

"Is that why you are here?" He asked them.

Tomas glanced towards the others before replying, "We are here to support Harper until she's settled in. We were very close to her case. That's all we can say about it."

"Right." Peter wasn't stupid. His eyes flicked to the white collar for a second before resting on Marcus' face. Marcus avoided his glance.

"Well, I think I might be going. I have a dog that needs to be let out before he eats my favourite pair of shoes. Thank you for the food and the lovely company." And with a big gulp, he downed the rest of his glass.

"I'll walk you out." Marcus offered. With one long look at Tomas - who was resting his head in his hands - he followed Peter out.

The moment they were outside Peter turned to him.

"You guys think it's something spiritual, don't you? Something bad happening here?"

Marcus hesitated.

"I knew it. You are exorcists. The determination on both of your faces. The weariness on your face. You're carrying these great burdens."

"It's what we were meant to do."

"When you are done here, you won't linger?"

"No. We never do."

"That's an end before we ever even started." Peter bitterly replied.

"I'm sorry, Peter. I can't... I can't have any connections."

"You have with father Tomas."

"It's not the same. We're friends." Marcus willed himself to believe those words.

Peter scoffed. "Yeah, I wish I could be your _friend_ too. But you won't even give me a chance."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, it's fine. I'm a grown man. I'll deal with it. But know that you can always come to me if there is something you want to talk about. I like you."

"I'll take that into consideration."

"Can I..." Peter started but instead of finishing his sentence he stepped closer towards Marcus. "Nobody can see us here."

And Marcus thought it true. They were hidden in the darkness of the front of the house next to Peter's car. So bravely he closed the gap between their mouths.

"This feels like farewell," Peter whispered against his lips.

Marcus shut him up by pushing closer. His fingers clawing in Peter's coat. Pulling him closer still. This was nice. It was comfortable. The close-lipped kisses warmed him to the core. It seemed to affect Peter more than him though so Marcus ended the chaste kisses with one long lingering one before pulling away.

"Thank you." He knew he was blushing but he couldn't give one shite in the world. These were the first real kisses that he wanted.

"Maybe in another life." Peter smiled and Marcus just knew he would be okay. The man was strong-willed and brave. He had been through two tours in Kosovo and still tried to make the world a better place. With a sigh he watched the car disappear around the corner until the red brake lights were no longer to be seen.

When he turned back to the house, Tomas was standing on the porch. Hands gripping the railing tight and his expression furious.

Feeling like he was off to the firing squad, Marcus made his way back to the house. Back into the lights.

"So you and Peter?" Was the first thing Tomas bit out.

"No."

"It doesn't seem like that."

"It's none of your business."

"But Jessica was?"

A flare of anger clawed its way through Marcus' throat.

"So because you don't have Jessica, I can't have anyone?"

"You yourself said it's too dangerous to have someone or something that can be lost."

"I don't have him. It was just a kiss!"

"He seems to know more about you than I do! You don't trust me and you hate me for finding things out about your past but you seem to be offering yourself freely to your _new_ best friend over there."

"Honestly, Tomas! Are you jealous? What do you want me to say? Let's pinky swear and we'll be best buddies forever?"

Tomas growled and slammed his hands in anger on the railing.

"I can never have any normal discussion with you!"

"That's because you always need to win! You won't listen to reason!"

" _I_ never listen to reason? You shoot me down before I even ask!"

Marcus desperately wanted a smoke right now.

"Do you want to quit?" Tomas asked. This time calmer and full of sadness.

"I can't quit."

"But do you _want_ to?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It _does_! Do you want to stop this? Go have dates with your man? I can take care of myself! So don't let _me_ stop you from finding happiness."

"You take care of yourself? So _that_ was what you were doing when I leave you alone for one evening? You go off and try to exorcise by yourself. Getting yourself killed three times in the Shadow Realm. You're impulsive and never even thought or respected what I wanted you to do. To stay put!"

"I'm not a dog! And you weren't there! I needed to go to the house. I was..."

"Called! Yes, I know! And I wasn't! Stop reminding me of my lost connection with _God_."

"I don't..."

"No, you don't think. That's what you do! It's fucking none of your business what I do in the free time whenever I even dare to take a break! You ask me to teach you but when I do you don't listen. You just do whatever Tomas wants to do! Never mind listening to a man with decades of experience. Just because you have a _gift_ and six months time on the road doesn't make you a professional!"

"Are you done insulting me? I have done everything you asked me so far. I nearly got killed over thirteen times by now. I try to take care of both of us and you ignore my attempts! You never let me in! You just bark and growl at me! And sometimes I see the man you really are but before I can get to know him, you hide him away from me and push me even farther away! You even tell Harper more than you do me. Why don't you trust me?"

"What do you mean? With Harper?"

"I heard you talk to her. She's right you know. You just push everyone away that wants to love you and..."

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! You had no right..."

"See! There you go again! _I_ have no right? No right to _what_? You know _everything_ about me! You _demanded_ to know every secret I had and in return, I get what? Anger and silence from your side. Quid pro quo, my friend. Ever heard of it?"

"What is it you want, Tomas?!

"I want you to let me in! So I can watch your back. You rather trust a man you just met and a child you barely know much quicker than you do me. Why won't you trust me?"

"Because if I let you in you will leave!"

"I wouldn't..."

"You wouldn't? So if I tell you that I've been abused and hurt and humiliated all my life, you wouldn't be disgusted? You wouldn't be horrified to know that I've been raped and cut and bound. Left for dead over and over again and I was all alone to crawl back and get some more?"

"Marcus..."

"No! You don't get to do this to me! Every time I go in for an exorcism they show me my past. Over and over again! What do I get? Someone's who's questioning my every move! I get excommunicated! God leaves _me_! Sometimes I just want to feel what others feel! Warmth and kindness and gentle hands! The only thing I know is pain and shame and fear! I try to protect _your_ back all the time!"

"I could do the same for you."

"You could never! It's already too late for me."

"So you want to keep those things from happening to me. I understand."

"You don't! You literally don't! Instead, you're acting all indignant and resentful when I try to find a blink of happiness with someone else because you're jealous you can't have the same! Well, I'm sorry! Go back to Chicago! Go back to the woman you love and leave me alone! If me not trusting you is what it takes to break your spirit, then go!"

"I won't leave you."

"Everyone does eventually."

"Marcus..." Tomas gingerly tried touching Marcus' hand but the older man pulled away.

"I'm going to bed."

Tomas dropped his hand and looked at his shoes. This had gone too far and he allowed Marcus to retreat and lick his wounds in peace.

 

* * *

 

Marcus was angrily stewing under several blankets when Tomas came in the bedroom. It seemed years ago they had their fight but the pain was still so fresh. Where had all his control gone? For months he kept everything close to his heart and in the span of a week, he had trusted several people with parts of his pained past. Was he finally cracking up?

He felt the bed dip and Tomas pulled the blankets up to his chin. Probably staring at Marcus' back. Not knowing what to say even when he knew both of them were awake.

In the dark Marcus heard rustling and noticed Tomas sliding closer to him until he felt the warmth on his back from the younger man's chest. An arm found its way over the covers and closed around him.

"What are you doing?" Marcus ground out through his teeth.

"I'm hugging you."

"I don't need _hugs_."

"I do."

Tomas' thumb stroked comforting circles on Marcus' wrist. He wanted to push Tomas away. Scream at him. Take his bag and leave this place forever. This place where he felt so raw and pulled open from the inside out.

" _Stay_ ," Tomas whispered. "I need you."

I need you too. Marcus desperately wanted to say those words but instead, a sob escaped his throat. He held his breath. Had Tomas heard? Of course, he had. The arm closed tighter around him. His body was shaking. When had that happened? Tomas just held him. Not judging or saying anything. Just pulling closer. His cold nose touching the nape of Marcus' neck.

Marcus couldn't speak through the lump in his throat. He couldn't apologize for his lack of control. So he just gripped the arm holding him tight. Hoping what he felt could be conveyed in touch instead of words.

Tomas entwined their fingers in reply. He understood. Marcus slowly breathed out and closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Hours later had Tomas still awake. Marcus had seemed to just blink out of awareness after the turmoil of the day and had fallen asleep while holding hands. Tomas knew how Marcus slept. Tightly controlled even in slumber. Arms tight to his body. Blanket neatly tucked around him.

There was none of that now. The man seemed to reach out desperately in his sleep. His leg flung over Tomas' knees. Nose deeply burrowed in his side. The younger man held his arm around the back of Marcus' head. His one hand resting on his shoulder, his other still clasping their fingers together on his chest.

Marcus was nearly curled into a complete fetus position. As if he tried to crawl into Tomas' warmth. The words that were spoken earlier kept replaying in his head.

The scars he had noticed when the ex-priest quickly - and with averted eyes - changed during their journey spoke now of even more untold stories. Not only exorcisms but also other humans who had hurt his friend. Tomas wanted to know every single detail about them. He just wanted to take the all the pain Marcus had suffered away. When the man had started sobbing in his arms, his own eyes had started tearing up. His abuela often told him that he was too empathic. How could he not? This beautiful creature was broken on the inside out. God put them together for a reason. They needed each other and he would personally glue the pieces back together for the rest of his life if that was what it took to grant this repressed man his well-deserved happiness.

A creaking noise startled him from his deep thoughts. Subtly he glanced from underneath his eyelashes towards the door. It was slowly opening. Marcus' fingers tightened in his own. He was awake and had heard it too. Their breathing was still slow. Pretending to be asleep.

The door knocked against the wall, creaked several more times and stood still. Nothing was in the doorway. Just darkness. Tomas slowly breathed out. A cold mist formed. The temperature in the room kept dropping and he felt his heart hammering underneath their joined hands.

They heard the rattling of chains further down the hall and finally, Marcus dared to sit up. His finger lifted to his mouth. We must keep silent. The chains dropped. Someone or something had unlocked the door to the attic.

Slowly they crept out of bed, grabbing their Bibles and crucifixes on the way to the door. Tomas leaned against the wall, nodding to his partner and Marcus jumped onto the hallway. Shining his light to the - now - unchained door. Tomas switched on the lights in the bedroom and the main lights on the left outside their bedroom door.

Verity came out of her room. Too late they noticed that all the doors were open. Rose quickly followed in her tartan flannel pyjamas. Shelby followed closely behind. Once more clutching his Bible to his chest. Truck, Harper and Caleb wisely stayed put in their beds. In a line, with Marcus in front, they made their way to the last opened door.

"Hello?" Marcus said while looking inside and shining his torch on the stairs. With a glance towards Tomas, the two of them climbed up while the others waited downstairs. Rose clutched her cell phone in her hand in case they needed to call the police or ambulance.

Marcus pushed open the door to the art room. Andy was - once again - standing in the middle of the room. Seeming to hug someone close to his chest. He was talking.

"I'm sorry, Nikki. I shouldn't have left you alone for so long."

"Andy?" Tomas tried to wake the man.

The door slammed closed behind them and they heard Rose and the others shout in the distance.

"You shouldn't have followed us," Andy whispered to no one in particular. The lights started flickering on and off until they brightened and brightened. Tomas protected his eyes from the blinding light. "You want to get rid of me." The man continued.

"We are here to help you," Marcus said. "Am I talking to Nicole or to Grace right now?"

"Go away!" A strange voice screeched. The papers around them started floating.

"Whom am I speaking too?" Marcus shouted this time. The buzzing from the lights started to get in such a high pitch they were nearly completely deafened by it.

"I know of your plan! You will never have him!"

"Grace?"

Andy threw up his hand and pointed at Marcus. The ex-priest got expelled and thrown against the wall.

"In the name of the Hol..." Tomas started, but he too was crashed. He gasped loudly when his chest hit the side of the desk before rolling on the floor.

"Grace!" Marcus shouted.

They heard the girl starting to scream. Her shriek went lower and lower until something inhuman was nearly making their ears bleed.

Tomas crawled on his hands and knees towards Andy and pulled on his hands. Pressed them to his mouth and started praying.

"You are lov..." The hands slapped him away. Tomas uprighted again and suddenly his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Only the whites were visible.

Andy fell on his knees. Clutching his chest and coughing loudly. He scrambled his shirt out the way. Looking for something on his chest.

"It's gone. It's gone." He kept repeating while scratching his skin like he couldn't believe it. "Marcus! She was here! She was here!"

But Marcus wasn't listening, he made his way through the paper and debris - that had fallen down again when Andy came back to himself - and put his hands on Tomas.

"Tomas! Can you hear me?" His forehead was sweaty and his mouth dropped open as if he wanted to scream but couldn't.

"What's wrong with him?" Andy asked in a panic.

"He's making contact."

"With Grace?"

"I don't know!" Marcus snarled. He wanted to shake Tomas awake, but he didn't dare. Not when he seemed to be so deep into it.

Rose and Verity stormed inside the room.

"Are you alright?" Rose cried and dropped next to Andy.

"What's wrong with him?" A tearstained Verity asked.

"Marcus?" Andy tried again.

"Is everybody okay?" Marcus asked while keeping his eyes on Tomas' face.

"The lights all burned out in the hallway and we heard this sound... It was awful. I'm sorry for doubting you." Rose sniffed. Her eyes wide in fear. She finally understood they were dealing with something that couldn't be treated with rationalizing and normal help in the form of police and doctors. They needed the exorcists.

"Help me get him down." Marcus decided with a look to Rose and Andy.

The three of them got Tomas safely down - without bumping into any walls - and back into bed. His eyes were still white. His breathing nearly non-existing. They all gathered around the bed and looked down upon the priest. Marcus owed them an explanation.

"Father Tomas... Has some kind of gift. He can make contact with the presences in the... This Shadow Realm. He tries to find out what they want. Where they come from."

"So this is normal? This happens often?" Shelby asked.

"Never this long." Marcus worried his bottom lip with teeth. "Normally he snaps out of it in a couple of seconds. Sometimes a minute or two. He has been under now for over ten minutes."

"Why is it different this time?" Rose asked.

"We believe there may be more than one presence in this house. In this place. Maybe that's why it takes him so long. I don't know."

"How can you _not_ know?" Verity cried.

"Are we safe?" Andy calmly asked.

"For now."

"What can we do?"

"Nothing. Now we just wait." Marcus said and with those last words, he knelt beside the bed. Folded his hands in prayer and bowed his head down. Begging God to bring his friend back safely.

Please. Just, _please_.

 

 


	6. To Hell And Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. To live through an extremely unpleasant, difficult, or painful experience.

_"MARCUS!" Tomas shouted into the dark. He was running through oddly familiar trees. "MARCUS!" He kept screaming. He was lost. Where was he going? Hands gripped him and bound him tight. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. The hands dragged him over the mossy forest floor. Buzzing filled his ears and he heard drums in the distance. The sounds came closer and closer. Light started appearing and it felt as if his heart was going to jump out of his chest._

_They had gagged him and he couldn't scream for help._

_Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Was all he could think._

_They pulled him in front of a huge fire. Cloaked figures were standing around it. Next to him were sobbing people with dark skins and painted faces kneeling. They were forming a line. A small child, barely seven, was trying to move his fingers from beneath the constricting ropes. Tomas wanted to help him and leaned towards the boy. A loud gong had his back straightening again._

_A man came forward. He was wearing a cloak and slowly he dropped his hood back. Revealing his face to the light of the fire. It was a middle-aged white man. with long hair pulled into a low ponytail with a ribbon. He was wearing black shiny shoes that easily jumped in your eye with the golden clasps on top of them._

_He spoke but Tomas couldn't understand a word. The others around them started chanting. The wailing from the people next to him got louder. He didn't understand. What was happening?_

_The boy next to him got pulled to his feet by two strong men. They pulled on his arms and he screamed. Spread out in front of the fire. He started struggling and kicking his feet around but couldn't hit anything. Tomas screamed through his gag._

_"Leave him alone!"_

_The man in the front came closer and pointed his fingers towards a large block of wood. Some sort of table. The boy got pushed on his back on top of it. His toes barely touched the ground. Arms still nearly pulled out their sockets. Before Tomas could realize what was about to happen, the man plunged a small scythe-like knife into the boy's belly and pulled it up. Parting his belly and chest like a knife does to butter. Like Moses did to the Red Sea. Guts spilt out. The boy's screams were horrible to listen to. Tomas cried out. The woman to his left fainted._

_It didn't stop there. The man punched his hand into the gaping chest of the boy and seemed to be looking for something. He triumphantly pulled out his bloodied arm. A still beating heart held close in his fist. The other people around them started cheering. The man threw the heart into the fire and it sizzled. The fire seemed to explode upwards. A dark shape taking form in the smoke for a second before disappearing. The men kept on shouting._

_Tomas got pulled to his feet._

_No! No! No!_

_They pushed him down on the wood and then a searing pain. He choked. Where had his breath gon?. He felt wetness on his feet. Oddly detached he looked down. His bowels were dripping out of his belly._

_He looked up again. Just in time to see a fist press its way inside him. He screamed. Long and loud. His heart. They were holding his heart. He tried speaking, but he was already gone._

 

* * *

 

"Marcus." Andy interrupted the frantically praying man and nodded to Tomas. Marcus slowly looked up. What was wrong?

"Children, let's leave them alone for a moment." Rose wisely said. The kids quickly followed her out.

"Marcus, he..." Andy didn't continue but simply pulled the blankets back, revealing that Tomas had pissed himself.

The ex-priest blinked in surprise. He hadn't smelled it, used to fouler stenches than this, he had just kept on praying. What could have happened that had Tomas empty his bladder in fear?

"I'll clean him." Marcus solemnly spoke.

"I'll bring fresh clothes and towels."

 

* * *

 

_Tomas smiled. He held a child on his arm. The little girl was pulling on his hair. His heart swelled with unconditional love for the baby. He looked up and saw a man cleaning out a shed._

_They waved at him. The man looked back. Tomas screamed. Their black buck had thrown himself headfirst into his owner._

_Tomas' mouth opened and closed without a sound. He started running but the distance seemed further and further away between him and the love of his life. The child was screaming._

_The animal kept running into the man. Over and over again. His eye was hanging out. His bent fingers were giving tiny shocks._

_Tomas suddenly stood into the pen with the buck. It turned to him. Its eyes were red._

 

* * *

 

 

Marcus turned the taps off and turned back towards the bedroom. Gently he undressed Tomas and lifted him into the tub. With the utmost care, he cleaned the man without lingering. Without thinking about anything.

"I wonder what you would do if you woke up now, old sport." He tried to joke. He failed spectacularly.

 

* * *

 

_"Push! Push!" Tomas shouted from between the knees of his wife. She was huffing and crying. Her face red and tired. What was keeping the old midwife from the village?_

_"Push!"_

_With one mighty roar, the strong woman pushed out a baby. It wasn't blue or purple or pink like most newborns were. It was green. Motley green and yellow. It stank of sulphur._

_Tomas couldn't believe his eyes. The fingers were stuck together, the feet ended in something that resembled hoofs and it suddenly opened its eyes. Yellow, with the narrow pupil of a cat._

_He had no control over his hands. They were gripping the umbilical cord and slowly wrapped it around the neck of the demon spawn._

_His wife cried out and weakly tried to push him away. He didn't listen. The creature started hissing while he choked it. When it was done, he stood up and left._

_The woman kept wailing and would probably bleed out if she didn't get any help soon. Tomas kept walking until his feet touched water. He went on. Head under water he stared up at the stars._

_A dark shadow made itself master of his soul. He closed his eyes._

 

* * *

 

Together with Andy, Marcus had put Tomas back into bed. The sheets were changed and he wore an old shirt and briefs from Andy. The older man tucked his friend in.

"Don't tell him when he gets back," Marcus whispered. Head already bowed again.

Andy just nodded.

 

* * *

 

_A fire spread itself through the woods. Animals and people were screeching and shouting. Tomas watched the torch in his hand. His cheeks hurt from smiling._

_He saw a young boy binding his dog to a tree and stone the Sheppard dog until it stopped moving._

_Tomas was closing his belt. A young girl sobbed behind him._

_"Daddy, no more." She begged._

_A flock of birds flew into the trees and walls of his home. He held a bloodied axe in his hands. A still twitching foot lay near him in the grass._

_"Master, please." Some useless negro cried before he lifted the axe once more._

_"Punish me!" A man shouted. The whip cracked down. Again and again._

_"Hmm, smells wonderful." A heavily accented man said. Tomas turned his cheek so he could get a kiss._

_"Sit. I'll serve shortly."_

_The chair scraped when the man went to sit at the head of the table. Their four sons already waiting silently._

_"What soup is it?"_

_"Mother's special soup." Tomas smiled. Slowly he pushed the bottle of poison deeper into his apron._

_"Don't make me do this!" Tomas sobbed. The knife held up in the air. He saw a child look up at him with bloodied teeth._

_She had just ripped out her brother's throat._

_"My father will find out." The girl whispered. A blush high on her cheeks._

_She was so beautiful. She would look even more beautiful hanging from the noose in the back of my shed._

_"What's in the well, mommy?"_

_"Why don't you find out?" Tomas stretched his hands. He just wanted this to end. When was it going to be over? Wake up. Wake up._

_He was shot. The still steaming barrel burned his chin._

_Chains rattled. A girl screams._

_Nicole slowly stepped into the water. It would be better if she wasn't here anymore._

_"See?" A young girl smiled. The door to the attic opened. Eyes were staring at him. "I am much too powerful. Leave while you can."_

_"I need to help them. Why are you here?"_

_"See?"_

_Tomas looked around. Andy was on the floor. His throat slit. Rose was crawling down the stairs. Filled with horror, Tomas followed the trail of destruction and death._

_Verity was choking up blood from her place nailed to a wall._

_Shelby's heavily burned corpse stunk up the entire hallway._

_Caleb and Truck leaned forward into their plates of spaghetti. Too long to be still breathing._

_Grace was standing in front of the door - the girl from the attic - looking even cuter than before. She pointed outside._

_"See?"_

_Tomas followed her direction. Harper was ripped open on the picket fence._

_"What do you want?!" Tomas cried._

_"Tomas?"_

_Tomas turned around. Marcus was so close to him. He looked down. The scythe-like blade bored deep into his friend's stomach. His hands were on the heft._

_"What have you done?" Marcus asked with tears in his eyes._

_"NOOOOOO!!!"_

 

* * *

 

"NOOOOOO!!!" Tomas jumped up. His eyes crazed, hands mowing around wildly. Someone grabbed his hands.

"Marcus!"

"I'm here! I'm here!"

The priest was blind with tears and just clutched his friend close to him. Heavy sobs wracked his body.

"I killed all of you. I killed them all!"

Slowly Marcus folded his arms around his friend. Tomas practically crawled into his lap like some small child. The older man hushed him and rocked him until the pitiful sounds slowed down.

When Tomas calmed down enough to look up to Marcus, his eyes only met worried ones.

"Tell me everything," Marcus asked.

Tomas nodded.

 

* * *

 

"Bloody shite," Marcus grunted when he cut his finger on the new cigarette box. He had been chainsmoking non-stop ever since Tomas did his story. The man was still resting upstairs - hours later - under the watchful eye of Andy. Marcus just needed a break.

Tomas was evidently too close to the case. He wasn't reliable to help the family and Marcus didn't know if he alone would be enough to help them.

"Marcus?" Rose called his attention. She held open the screen door to the porch. "There's a call for you."

Marcus took the phone from her hands and waited until she was gone.

"Hello?"

"Marcus, it's me."

"Bennett? How did you find me? Where were you?"

"The Vatican's been compromised and I had to go under. I met another exorcist and together we travelled to Belgium. Remember sister Dolores?"

"Yeah."

"She was integrated. I had to kill her."

Marcus silently sent a prayer for their fallen comrade.

"We just arrived in New York. We're going to Chicago. Can you meet us there?"

"No, not yet. How did you find us?"

"Do you think that I'm stupid? I sent you to Harper's case in Seattle. How long do you think it took me to find out where Harper went? I assumed they must have more information about you or where you went. I am lucky to have caught you there. So the girl was possessed?"

"No, she wasn't. Her mother wasn't right in the head."

"What are you still doing there?"

Marcus told Bennett the complete story.

"Marcus... What Tomas is doing is dangerous. He might corrupt his soul. Tell him to stop."

"I tried! I don't.... I don't think he can stop it even if he wanted to."

"Leave that place."

"We can't leave a century old demon here and destroy even more lives."

"Tomas is compromised. _You_ are compromised. _Leave_!"

"Well, since I've been excommunicated and the Vatican has been compromised... You don't have any authority to order me around. We'll come to Chicago once we're done here."

Bennett kept silent for a long time.

"Fine. Keep me updated. I'll call when I've found a safe place in Chicago."

"Alright."

Marcus had just put the phone away when Tomas came to stand next to him.

"How much did you hear?"

"Nearly everything," Tomas answered. His eyes still bleary from all the crying and restless sleep he got.

"He wants us to leave."

"Would you?"

Marcus turned his burning eyes towards his friends.

"This will kill you."

"Maybe." Tomas shrugged. "Better me than them."

No, not better him than them. Marcus wanted to tear his hair out or put the butt of his cigarette out on his arm. Something, just to stop feeling this pain inside his chest and head. He realized he would leave. If it meant saving Tomas.

"Fuck them." Marcus spat. That startled Tomas.

"You cannot seriously mean that. We are their only hope."

"The price is too high."

"No price is too high to save human lives."

"What about your life!" the ex-priest roared. "Eh, Tomas? What when you die?"

"Then we'll meet again."

He was so sure of his answer. He squarely looked Marcus in the eye until the other man could take no more and started looking at his fidgeting hands.

"Tomorrow is the market."

"Let's take care of that son of a bitch."

 

* * *

 

The sphere was subdued that evening. They were all pretty shook up about what had happened that night. Rose felt it was too late to call the authorities. Tomorrow was their last chance. If they failed, she wouldn't think any second longer about it and would take the children away. Far from here.

Marcus had never been so afraid in his life. Every second he had, he used to drink in the sight of his friend next to him. Any reason was enough to touch him. To assure him that Tomas was still here with him. It felt like a death sentence.

Tomas let him. The thigh pressing against his under the table. The hands touching his shoulder, his neck... Marcus sometimes even touched his cheek, his fingers and he kept staring. Like Tomas could disappear any second now.

The young priest suddenly stood up and Marcus' hand gripped his wrist tight. Not allowing him to leave.

"Marcus..." Tomas awkwardly whispered. "I need to use the restroom."

It took everything he had to slowly let go of the arm underneath his fingers. Tomas' skin red where he had been tightly gripped. Eyes burning on his back all the way out of the kitchen.

He splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He would do anything he could to prevent the things he saw in his visions from happening.

Conversation stayed strained throughout the evening and with heavy feet, they all went to bed much too early. Everyone knew something would happen.

With Andy's and Rose's permission, they locked Andy into his bedroom. They heavily secured the room to the attic and after reciting several pre-emptive prayers and much salt strewing, they too retreated to their bedroom.

Tomas changed his clothes in the bedroom. Knowing that Marcus was keeping watch on him from his side on the bed.

"I don't think I can sleep," Tomas whispered once he was also covered with the blankets.

Slowly they faced each other. The soft glow of the nightstand lamp lighting the gold in Marcus' hair. Blue eyes met brown.

"This feels final."

"It does," Marcus whispers. His hand already reaching out and touching Tomas' cheek again. Tomas gripped the warm hand and pressed it harder against his face. Slowly he brought the fingertips to his mouth and kissed them. One after the other. Marcus' breath hitched.

" _Tomas_." the older man urgently spoke. Trying to clutch his hand back.

"I know."

He probably knew even before Marcus realized he had fallen too deep.

"It's okay, Marcus." He lifted Marcus' hand back to his cheek so he had his own hand free to explore the lines on the face in front of him.

The ex-priest's eyes fluttered closed.

"Thank you, my friend." Tomas softly spoke. His fingertips touched the path from temple to chin. Stroked the moustache and dipped back into one of the tired lines on the side of Marcus' face.

"You are beautiful."

Marcus' eyes snapped open at that. His eyes wide, pupils blown and he bit his lip. Tomas thumbed the lip from between those teeth. Before Marcus knew what he was doing, he sucked the thumb into his mouth and moaned around it.

Both of them froze. Marcus pulled back.

"Sorry, I..."

Tomas' eyes darkened even further and he lifted himself up on one arm so he could lean over the older man. He wetted his lips and furtively nosed the side of Marcus' face.

Dropping small kisses from earlobe to neck, Marcus clutched the priest closer to him.

" _Tomas_ ," He sighed.

" _Marcus_ ," Tomas replied. His accent heavy and thick. That had a jolt streaming through Marcus' body. It made his toes curl and he felt himself aching and hard underneath his briefs.

" _Tomas_." Despair thickened his voice. Tomas pressed him closer still. His strong thigh slipped between his trembling legs. The younger man must feel how desperate he was by now. His mouth still fastened onto his pulse point. Sucking. Licking. Biting. Passionately kissing his way down to his collarbone.

"He estado pensando en ti." Tomas murmured. Hot air tickled his ear.

"You - You  have?" Marcus stammered.

"Quiero tomar las cosas con calma."

"Tomas, English _please_." His brain was already turned into mush. 

"I want to take my time with you."

By now he was panting. His chest was constricting. Only silly noises were leaving his mouth.

"What do you want?" Tomas whispered again.

Marcus had started grinding his hardness against the man's leg on top of him. Moans streamed forth despite his embarrassment. He pressed his eyes closed. Hard. Until he saw spots appearing.

Tomas' hands stroked down his flanks. Trying to calm him and his trembling down. His strong hand took a firm grip on the bony hip thrusting against him. Expertly he hoisted Marcus' leg higher so the friction between their bodies increased.

"What are you doing to me?" Marcus choked out.

"Just let it all go. Don't be ashamed." That last kiss was dangerously close to his mouth. Momentarily he was distracted by the facial hair scratching his own moustache.

He dropped his head back and exposed his throat in full trust to the man above him. He couldn't... He...

"Oh God." Marcus cried out. Tomas' breathing was harsh and his muscles flexed while trying to push and pull the slender body underneath him against his body.

Several thrusts more had Marcus shaking uncontrollably.

"Tomas. Tomas." He kept chanting. A tingle started at the base of his spine. His mouth dropped open and his last sounds choked off.

When he came, he came hard, tears slipped through his crushed eyelids. He made no sound. Only the shockwaves making his body go tense and then relax were the only sign he had reached orgasm. Slowly he opened his eyes. Tomas was looking down at him. Warmth and acceptance in his eyes. A lazy curl on his lips. Obviously smug with what a couple of words and some dry humping had done to his older friend.

Marcus knew his face must be red as a tomato right now. Shyly he looked away. All too aware of the stickiness drying in his briefs. He wanted to apologize but couldn't find the words.

"Eres divino." Tomas grinned.

Marcus pushed Tomas away so he could sit on the side of the bed. Tomas granted him his space. He hung his blond head low between his shoulders.

"We shouldn't have..." He started.

"We should have done so earlier."

"You... Jessica... You're not..."

"But I am. I desire you."

"Your brain's all messed up. With everything that happened... You couldn't possibly want..."

"You?"

Shamefaced Marcus looked over his shoulder. Looking full of hunger at the depraved picture Tomas made, kneeling behind him on the bed. Hair sticking up on all sides. Eyes dark as the night. Cheeks flushed. Chest quickly going up and down and tent sticking up from between his legs. Quickly he glanced away.

"Too much, Tomas." Marcus softly sighed. "Give me a moment."

After two failed attempts at standing - weak as a kitten - he made his way to the bathroom. Decidedly ignoring Tomas' attempt at making eye contact.

What the Hell had happened? Marcus kept thinking wildly while looking in the mirror. Where had that come from? And he... Like some ridiculous schoolboy... Fuck his life. He covered his eyes. He couldn't bear to look at himself anymore.

After quickly cleaning up, he re-entered the bedroom and saw Tomas sitting underneath the covers. As if nothing had happened. He was pretending to read his Bible. Taking notes and scratching doodles in it - a bad habit he got from Marcus.

Marcus was grateful for Tomas' effort to look as normal as possible. It gave Marcus just enough strength to keep his composure and crawl under the plaids himself. Everything that had brought them this far came rushing back in his mind.

Tomas put his Bible away and shut off the light before he started speaking.

"Are... Are you alright?"

His voice sounded so frail. He was afraid.

"Ye..." Marcus cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Did you... Enjoy it?"

"What do _you_ think." the ex-priest gruffly replied. Still embarrassed for his lack of stamina. And then with a small voice, "Did you?"

Tomas' reply was turning over so he could effectively spoon Marcus from behind. He placed a soft kiss on the thudding spot in the neck in front of him.

"Can't you tell?"

That had Marcus' soft spent member twitch in interest again. He didn't speak for a long time.

"Are you sure, Tomas?"

"We're in this together."

"Together."

 

 


	7. Get The Hell Out Of Dodge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. To leave somewhere immediately, to evacuate or scram.  
> II. "Get the hell out of Dodge" is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas, which was a favorite location for westerns in the early to mid 20th century. Most memorably, the phrase was made famous by the TV show "Gunsmoke," in which villians were often commanded to "get the hell out of Dodge." The phrase took on its current meaning in the 1960s and 70s when teenagers began to use it in its current form.  
> III. Synonym: Skedaddle

By the time morning came around, Marcus was convinced he had imagined everything that had happened last night. And for once - since they came here - he was awake before Tomas. The younger man's puffs of air stirred the short hairs on his nape and he carefully extracted himself from the octopus hugger. Silently he dressed and made his way downstairs.

"Moooorning," Verity said with a cheeky smile. Her eyes glanced to his neck and back to his eyes.

Marcus slapped his hand on the spot she was looking at and she giggled in reply.

"Are you going to make breakfast this time?" She asked, but Marcus was already running to the mirror at the front door.

A hickey. He had an honest to God hickey in his neck. Glad to see his coat hanging on the rack, he patted down its sleeves until he found his scarf. Quickly he wound it around his neck. Effectively blocking the view to the dark red spot on his pulse point.

"Not a word." He grumbled when he entered the kitchen again.

Verity zipped up her mouth and pretended to throw away the key while leafing through a magazine.

"Breakfast, you said?"

The girl just pointed at the fridge. "Eggs. Bacon. Butter. Milk."

Marcus pulled open the refrigerator and sighed. When was the last time he made a proper meal? For himself? Years no doubt. For others? Try never.

He had just found a bowl big enough when Tomas entered the kitchen. The ends of his hairs were still wet. How quickly had he known that Marcus was gone? He must've hurried to take a shower in the ten minutes the older man had been down.

"What are we making?" Tomas clapped his hands together with a big optimistic smile.

"Scrambled eggs."

"Good job on the hickey, father Tomas," Verity said. Her face disinterested and pointedly focusing on her magazine. The bowl clattered on the floor. Dropped from his useless hands.

"Hickey? Qué significa eso?" the priest asked his friend perplexed.

Marcus knew he was extremely flushed in the face and without another word he pulled the scarf aside. Better to get this over with. Like pulling a band-aid from your skin.

Tomas covered his mouth. Not the reaction Marcus had been expecting. Chagrined he picked up the bowl, turned back towards the stove and cracked some eggs too enthusiastically against the side of. They'll have to eat shells. He didn't care.

"Verity won't tell." Tomas smiled. Both of them chuckled.

"This isn't funny." Marcus snapped. _That_ shut them up.

"Verity won't tell, Marcus."

The ex-priest looked up to see Tomas advancing on him. Slowly he pulled the scarf away to look at his work again.

"I am sorry."

"Why I am not even remotely close to believing you."

The fingertips stroking the red spot made Marcus freeze.

"It was real?" His voice cracked.

Tomas' mouth dropped open in shock.

"How _else_ would that _lovebite_ made its way onto your neck?"

Another egg-shell found its way into the mix.

"Please, let me. Before we're laying eggs ourselves." Tomas begged and took over. Marcus could now focus on his friend instead.

"About last night, Marcus..."

"It was a mistake. I know."

" _No_!" The bowl clattered back upon the counter.

"I believe I'm needed elsewhere," Verity muttered and quickly left the two men to their privacy.

"You think.. You think it was a _mistake_?"

Tomas sounded heartbroken and Marcus didn't know what to reply to that.

"Look at me, Marcus! Tell me what you are really thinking. Please?"

"You want to know what I'm thinking?! I think that you were emotionally compromised last night after the nightmares you had. So you sought something out that made you feel better. Something that could comfort you. Well, I hope you had your fun. I'm an easy victim as you now plainly know."

The older man had been pressing his finger harder and harder into Tomas' chest while accusing him of what he really thought that had transpired last night.

Tomas' eyes flared hot. His southern temperament made them shine more than ever.

"Now listen here and listen well! It wasn't a mistake. I want you. I need you. Last night was one of the best experiences in my life. Don't try to push me away _again_. It won't work! I didn't just need a... An itch to scratch or something. I desire you deeply."

"So what now? You want to add the benefits of our being friends?" Marcus bitterly asked. "Well, thanks for letting me go first then, I guess."

"Cállateee, qué tontería! Por favor fíjate, mi amigo! It's not about the _sex_! Are you purposely _that_ dense? Dios mío!"

"What else should I expect?"

"From strangers? Perhaps, yes. From me? Me parece que te has un lío. You know you can trust me."

What should they do about the bacon? Marcus wondered.

"I will convince you, Marcus. I speak from my heart."

"You can drop the act, Tomas. If you want me to suck you off or something, you can just ask." Marcus hid again behind his bravado.

" _What_?" Tomas' spluttered. His eyes narrowed. "I believe we need to have a serious conversation about your previous partners."

"Ah, too bad. I just looked at my Google calendar and how about never."

"Yes, you can hide behind your sarcasm and your words and your tough face. I know better now."

"You know _nothing_."

Tomas sidled closer to Marcus' side. His hand stroking him from nape to his lower back. His mouth suddenly very close to the older man's ear.

" I know you want me as much as I want you. I think you are beautiful and brave. And there is nothing that gets me more hot and bothered than that lovely blush climbing from your neck to your cheeks."

Marcus wanted to reply something about Tomas' learning his lines from a cheap paperback romance novel but the feeling of his touches had travelled straight down into the front of his pants. Making it just impossible to find words or not to bite his tongue trying to remember how to pronounce again.

"Me estoy enamorando de ti. Quiero resgar apagado toda su ropa. Marcus, te deseo. Quiero besar todas las partes de tu cuerpo."

"You know my Spanish is rusty. I haven't got the foggiest you're telling me. But keep doing it. I'll be a native speaker in no time."

Tomas smiled sadly, "I know you understood everything. It's okay." And he continued making breakfast while Marcus took several steps back. Bumping his back against the kitchen table.

He may or may not be having a panic attack. But before he could realize it fully, Verity came back in, closely followed by Harper, Caleb and Rose. She obviously went first to send them a warning. Private conversation was over.

"Andy's got some news." Rose quickly said before the last two men followed the group into the kitchen.

Tomas and Marcus expectedly turned to Andy.

"I got a call from Peter on my cell. He's going to pick us up so we can go to the market together. He needed more samples to send to some institute and thought we wanted the ride. He'll be here in an hour or two."

Marcus froze.

"That's great! But I'm sure we can't _all_ fit on the doctor's boat." Tomas smiled.

The ex-priest wanted to slap his forehead in frustration.

"No, we can fit," Andy assured them all with a beaming smile. Glad to be out of the house for a day.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we can _all_ fit." Marcus intervened with a grumble.

Tomas looked surprised. Now he knew Marcus had already been on the boat. Alone with Peter. He frowned and looked helplessly at Rose. She gladly came to the rescue.

"Maybe you can stay home, Andy? Let me take the kids for the day. Just you by yourself. Time to do some self-reflection, cleaning, some hobbies, rest some more... It's been such a difficult week. You deserve it."

"Wha... What? You don't want me to go with you guys? Don't be ridiculous."

And that was that. Seems like they were _all_ going to the market.

 

* * *

 

"I'm sorry the plan failed," Rose murmured lowly as to not be overheard. They were waiting by the side of the lake - a walking distance of fifteen minutes from the house - for Peter to arrive. They could already see him closing in on their location.

"It was a bad plan to begin with." Marcus sighed.

Peter pulled up, killed the motor and floated to the edge. Andy and Shelby were quick to catch the ropes and with the three of them, they anchored the boat enough so they could easily get on.

Peter helped them on board but lingered when helping Marcus. Their hands staying interlocked for a couple seconds longer. Marcus didn't know where to look first. They left the pier shortly after.

Marcus tried not to let his eyes stray to the lone figure at the back of the boat. Hands in his pockets. Leaning against the side. Watching the ripples in the water.

Had Tomas spoken the truth earlier that morning? He wasn't keen on believing the things he had said. People didn't _want_ him. People needed him and discarded him. And they specifically _didn't_ fall in _love_ with him. And about the other things... He flushed when he imagined Tomas' mouth kissing down his body and quickly he tried to think about dead rotting fish and other unpleasant things.

Tomas turned around - as if he could feel he was being watched - their eyes crossed each other. Marcus quickly looked away. Pretending to look for a fag in his coat pockets. By the time he lit one, his eyes were already back resting on that same figure staring off into the distance.

 

* * *

 

"Okay, don't stray too far. We'll gather here again at 1 PM for some lunch. I brought sandwiches. Caleb, Truck and I will be going for some records. What are you guys gonna do?"

"Vintage clothing and the gaming stand," Verity yelled before tearing off.

Andy sighed and looked at Shelby. "The books are over there, this year." He pointed at the west side of the marketplace and Shelby was off too.

"I'll take Harper and show her around for the first time," Rose said and the two girls turned and excitedly chatted on.

"I'll return to take those samples. I'll see you all later." Peter said. His eyes glanced to Marcus. Waiting if he would offer to come with him, but Marcus ignored the man in favour of staring at a second-hand basket.

"Thank you, _so_ much," Andy replied before taking off with the two boys. Leaving the two men alone to do with their time what they wanted.

"Books?" Tomas proposed.

"Books."

 

* * *

 

"Do you often feel helpless?" Tomas suddenly asked. They had been poking around the books for over thirty minutes.

"Am I feeling _what_?"

"Do. You. Often. Feel. Helpless?" Tomas asked again like he was deaf or something.

"What are you... Give that here." Marcus snarled and pulled the book out of Tomas' hands.

 

**Dealing with trauma: A simple guide for friends, family and loved ones of the victim.**

 

"Piss off, Tomas!"

"So do you? Do you feel insecure? Like your life is worth nothing anymore? Do you envision a future for yourself?"

"Not in this line of work. Stop this nonsense."

"I understand  how you feel."

"Don't try that psychological trick on me, _hombre_."

"Can I try something different then? I ask a question and you reply with yes or no. True or false. Let me get to know you. You can ask anything in return."

"What are we? Teenager girls? Let's gossip this evening. I can do your nails."

"Do you remember last night?" Tomas ploughed on. Disregarding Marcus' hostile temper completely.

" _Yes_. I remember."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"I already told you this." In his haste to get away from Tomas' intrusiveness, he hit the edge of a table, making several books drop on the ground. "Sorry," he quickly muttered to the owner before crouching down and gathering the books. Dusting them off before replacing them.

"You liked it very much," Tomas stated. He helped placing the books back in their proper places. Even sorting them by author.

"True." the ex-priest ground out.

"You think I didn't enjoy it."

"True."

"False. Because I didn't...?"

"No, because..." Marcus closed his mouth again. That was a near miss.

"Because you thought I wanted you to be the one on top?"

"False."

"Because everything went too fast according to you?"

"I could've... I mean. Quid pro quo. You seemed to like that principle." He hated himself. Why was it suddenly so hard to refuse Tomas anything. These true/false questions were easier to answer than any normal question but... The consequences... Tomas could find out too much.

"I liked it very much. It was about you. Next time maybe."

" _Next time_?"

"Can I ask more questions?"

"You can _ask_. Don't mind me if I don't reply."

They slowly made their way to one of the other stands. A man convinced Tomas to taste his bees' honey and started explaining something about the honey extracting process. Marcus used it to his advantage and quickly wandered further off. Glad to be alone for a moment.

"He really likes you, you know that, right?"

Where did that girl suddenly come from? Verity was eating something candied while watching him from under her thick eyelashes.

"He's a priest and it's none of your business."

Verity shrugged. "So what? He's a nice guy and he likes you. I don't believe in God but I don't think he meant for people not to have love."

"Can you just... Skedaddle or something?"

"Aye, aye, Captain." And with a salute and a grin, she marched off.

"There you are!" Tomas said. He was holding an assortment of flavoured honey and jams under his arm in a gift-wrapped translucent box.

"What's that?"

"A gift for Andy and the children. For their hospitality."

Marcus rolled his eyes.

"We're not nearly taking this serious enough, yet. They aren't either. We could all die this very evening!"

"Yes, but we are enjoying every last second we may have. Instead of spending it bitter and alone."

"Don't presume to know me."

"But I _do_ know you. Not well. But I know you better than anyone else. Or I'm getting there."

"You're not even close to knowing me. Nor are you any closer than someone else. Nobody's close to me."

"You killed your father. He had hurt you and your mother for years and years. Then you had enough after he killed your mom. You wandered the streets until they put you in the orphanage. The boys there mistreated you. Someone of the grown-ups abused you.You cut yourself in an effort to get away and then the Church came in to _save_ you. They put a child in a room with a demon and trained him to be the best excorcist there is. And when they had no more use for you because you thwarted their corruption, they left you back out again on the street. Here you are, still working to make the world a better place. But you think you can do it alone. You can't. Let me help."

They had reached the end of the market. Only four of five people were walking about. Tomas kept watching Marcus' face for a reaction. The reaction came in the form of a swing of his fist that he could easily fence off.

"Did you see those things _again_ in some sort of vision?! And you didn't tell me?!"

"I didn't see it. The puzzles of your past just fit together that way. The scars on your arms. Your legs. Your back. The small details you told me. The drawings I found in your room and saw in your sketchbook. The way you don't let people touch you even if you want to be touched. Am I right?"

"True." Marcus choked out. Everything was out there. Tomas wasn't running. Instead, his hand was making its way to Marcus' shoulder. Gentle. Comforting.

"Can you tell me about it?"

"Not here. Not today." Marcus whispered. Eyes downcast.

Tomas pulled on his hand until they were out of sight of the straggling spectators.

"Why are you..."

"Because here I can do _this_." And Tomas put his arms around Marcus. It wasn't just a hug. It was everything. He was clutching Marcus so close to him that he could almost feel the broken pieces of his soul slide back together. Slowly he lifted his own arms and awkwardly draped them around the younger man. His only real friend. His face rested above the starch white collar. He deeply breathed the scent in from the man in his arms and thought that - maybe - he had finally found his piece of peace.

 

* * *

 

"How was the market?" Was the first thing Peter asked the group when he came back to pick them up from their outing.

"Nice."

"Cool.

"Awesome."

"We bought a new record. It's Fleetwood Mac." Caleb proudly said while lifting said record in the air.

"Informative." Tomas smiled serenely.

This time the both of them stood at the back of the boat. Looking over the railing. Watching the darkness descend into the valley.

"I enjoyed today."

Marcus huffed in agreement.

Without any abrupt movements, Tomas slowly slid his hand closer towards Marcus' on the railing. They stayed apart for half an inch. Waiting. Not pressuring.

Marcus looked down. Did he dare to bridge the gap?

"We need to make plans. Specific plans on how to deal with the demonic presence." He said instead.

"Can we discuss those later this evening? Let's just enjoy the last pieces of sunshine. Pretend we're just a normal couple of guys out on a date."

"Is that how you see this? A _date_." Marcus scoffs. He knew he was deliberately baiting and hurting his friend by acting like this.

"I look for romance in the small things."

"Look for romance in your telenovela. I have nothing to do with it."

"Do you think that it is even remotely possible to push me away by this point? I'm already in too deep, Marcus."

"You can always leave."

"Nice try, I'll pretend I didn't hear that cross your lips. You don't want me to go."

"Father Tomas, quickly, come here! I found something amazing." Harper shouted from the other side of the ship. With a swift glance, Tomas strode off to join the others.

"True," Marcus whispered as reply in the cold night air. No one to witness his honesty.

 

* * *

 

The first thing that happened when they got back to the house was hearing Harper scream.

The second, Caleb asking what was wrong.

All the windows and doors were open. The curtains billowing. All lights were on. And on the front of the house, someone had painted something in dark red.

"Is that blood?" Verity asked disgustedly.

Marcus took a closer look and it was indeed blood. But where did it come from?

"She's talking to me," Andy hoarsely spoke while looking at the words.

 

**Don't leave me, daddy.**

 

"She's a demon. She's not speaking to anyone in particular. She has just focu..." Tomas tried to calm the man down but Andy shushed him.

"I _mean_... She's speaking to me. Right _now_." He said. Eyes wide to the doorway in front of the house.

"What is she doing?"

"She just stands there. Arms spread. Waiting for me."

"Tell her to go away." Marcus advised the man of the house.

"Go away, Grace! You're not real!"

The curtains started billowing with more force. They moved outwards, instead of inwards. Like the wind came from inside the house. The lights brightened until they could barely look straight at the house.

"GO AWAY!" Andy yelled again.

Suddenly all went quiet. Rose screamed. Something was pulling her hair. With a rough jerk, she was lifted and swept sideways.

"Rose!" The children shouted and Shelby rushed over to help the woman stand on her feet again.

The wind picked up and they heard the trees creak louder and louder until a big snap permeated the night air. A tree came down.

"Get out the way!" Tomas shouted and pushed Caleb and Truck down with his body. Marcus covered Harper while looking in his bag for his Bible.

Marcus started praying.

"Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

Tomas quickly fell in step with him while they advanced - crucifix drawn - towards the house.

"Regna terrae, cantata Deo, psallite Cernunnos, Regna terrae, cantata Dea psallite Aradia. caeli Deus, Deus terrae, Humiliter majestati gloriae tuae supplicamus."

The lower windows in the front of the house blew out. Shards rained down upon them. The others kept on screaming. Shelby tried his best reciting psalms while folding his hands and kneeling.

Marcus and Tomas kept advancing. Their eyes protected by their arms. They would not be deterred.

"All holy saints of God!" Marcus shouted.

"Intercede for us!" Tomas finished for him.

"Be merciful!"

"Spare us, O Lord!"

"Be merciful!"

"Graciously hear us, O Lord!"

The buzzing grew louder and louder. They heard waves of insects move in the forest. Animals howled in the distance. Not one screech from any kind of bird interrupted the agony of nature

"Lord have mercy! Christ, hear us!"

"Christ, graciously hear us!"

Andy, Rose and the children came closer and started repeating with Tomas.

"God, the Father in heaven!" Marcus shouted at the increasing wind.

"Have mercy on us!" The others all chanted. This time full of belief and conviction.

"God, the Son, Redeemer of the world!"

"Have merc..."

A loud bang followed and they were all bowled over onto their backs. Only their ragged breaths interrupted the sudden silence.

"Is it gone?" Harper asked with tears in her voice.

"They always leave with a bang. She'll be back." Marcus grumbled while helping her stand again.

"Do you believe me now, eh Verity? Supernatural things exist!"

"Yes, Shelby. I do. I do believe you. Oh, God. It's real."

"The children can't stay here." Was the first thing Rose said when she found her voice back.

 

 


	8. Come Hell Or High Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. If you say that you will do something come hell or high water, you mean that you are determined to do it, despite any difficulties that there might be.

"For the millionth time! I am not leaving!" Verity shouted. "I am almost eighteen. Let me decide what's best for myself!"

"You are still underage. That's why we are here. We're your guardians." Rose tried to reason again.

"Andy is our guardian. I am not leaving him."

Both women looked at Andy. Andy lifted his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Please, Verity. Listen to us. It's not safe here anymore. I want all of you to leave."

"Fat chance in Hell of that," Caleb muttered.

"I'm not going either." Truck fell in step with his friend.

"We can help." Andy looked helplessly at Harper when even she let her voice be heard. "We're a family now. All of us." She sadly said. Her hand still inside Marcus'.

Marcus' heart was thudding painfully. He never had a family and here they were. Making a last stand not to leave each other's side. The moment was hurting in its own uniqueness.

"This will be dangerous. You might see things you'll have nightmares about for the rest of your life." Tomas spoke gently.

"Then we'll just add them to the others," Harper spoke confidently. These children were warriors. Their loyalty yet untested but oh so firm.

"What can we do? Please tell us." Shelby begged.

Rose threw her hands up in the air in despair. "Andy! Please, you can't allow them to do this!"

The man of the house looked at his small dysfunctional family with tears in his eyes. His mouth halted the responsible words that he was about to say when he looked each one of them in the eyes. Determined. Stubborn.

"I need them." He choked out instead. Two seconds later had him in a huge pile of hugging children. They were crying and pulling each other close. Murmuring sweet nothings. Marcus' hand felt suspiciously empty until Tomas touched their fingers for a moment.

"Then we must prepare," Marcus said. "Are you with us?"

Rose bit her lip and looked at the others. She closed her eyes and sighed slowly to calm herself.

"Always. Until the end."

 

* * *

 

Holding flashlights and lighting candles they moved all over the house. Harper and Rose cleaned up the shards while Verity and Shelby closed off the windows with cardboard and duct tape. Caleb held up the tape and listened carefully to Truck moving the furniture around to barricade the newly closed off windows.

"You must put away anything of value. Pictures, figurines, all things you don't want destroyed." Tomas advised a nodding Andy. Armed with boxes and bubble wrapped he moved swiftly through the house to protect the most important objects in their home. The boxes would stay in the shed until it was all over.

Marcus, in the meantime, had been preparing the attic room. It seemed to be the epicentre of the evil that was happening in this place of time. Everything was sealed off. All furniture thrown out in the hallway. He cleaned the room of all papers and rotten food. With Tomas' help, they fastened a ring and chain to the floor in case anyone of them needed to be secured.

"Father." Harper pulled at Tomas' sleeve when they were all down taking a short break.

"Yes, Harper?"

"Can you baptise me? My mother never... I want to."

"Are you sure?"

The girl nodded, full of conviction.

"Andy?"

"Don't look at me. It's her decision." The man lifted his hands as if to say - I'm not responsible for her choices.

So thirty minutes later had Tomas baptising the girl into their fold. Rose and Marcus stood as her godparents even though Marcus had refused three times. The girl wouldn't take no for an answer.

They gathered around the kitchen table to eat leftovers from the fridge. Truck passed the ice tea around. Only the plates and cutlery made sounds when they scraped over the table top.

"So... What now?" Verity broke the silence.

"Marcus?" Tomas asked. His eyes intent on his friend. This was his area of expertise. Giving the commands.

"Andy, Tomas and I shall be inside. I want all of you outside the attic room. All of you. Whatever happens, whatever you hear, you cannot interrupt. You may see and hear things... Deal with it. Exorcisms are hard as it is. We can't have you running about and risking your eternal soul because you were not strong enough."

"What about you and father Tomas? Can't we do anything to make it easier?"

Marcus contemplated Shelby's question.

"We've got a batch of holy water and extra Bibles. If you want to do something. You can start from Luke and make your way from there."

"Can we have some sort of protection?"

"From this point on, God is our only protection and our own strength."

Grim faces looked back at him.

 

* * *

 

"Grace?" Andy spoke in the middle of the attic room. The others were silent as church mouses. Keeping their place outside the door. Shelby the only one whose whispered psalms could sometimes be overheard.

Nothing. Marcus waved at Andy to try again.

"Grace? Ni... Nicole. I want you to leave this house!"

Andy started walking around the room. "You are not wanted here. I don't want you here! This family wants you gone! You have no place among us!"

"If... If you don't leave, then I will! And I will take everyone I love with me. Excluding you!"

 _That_ apparently got the demon's attention as the door slammed shut so the others couldn't look inside the room anymore.

"By the power of God, I command you, to show yourself!" Tomas shouted. Hand held out towards Andy. Looking for any sign.

Marcus thought he was imagining things, but after a minute he realized that the house was - indeed - trembling underneath his feet.

"Show yourself!"

"Grace, I don't need you! Go away!"

An inhuman screech deafened them for ten long seconds. The trembling got worse. They heard the children's and Rose's praying get louder outside the room.

"I beg to differ." A strange voice suddenly spoke. It came from Andy. "You do need me, daddy."

"God, Almighty, grant us power. I command you to give me YOUR name!" Marcus shouted. His hand on Andy's forehead. They had feared for this. That the demon had a physical connection to Andy's body, but in a way, it was easier to exorcise a human than it was a house.

Andy garbled Latin and slashed his arm in the air. Marcus smacked face first into a wall. With a groan he righted himself. Lifting his hand to halt Tomas from coming over to help him. Tomas nodded and continued speaking the Lord's prayers loudly.

"Your name, you vile creature!"

"Don't you see it's useless, Marcus. I am too strong."

"No demon is too strong for the power of God. The power of Love! I command you, demon! Be gone!"

That got him lifted and thrown into another wall. Heavily panting he stood back on his feet. Blood was streaming down a gash in his cheek.

"Power of Love!" The demon - in Andy's body - spoke. "Don't let me laugh, what do you know about love... Marcus?" It was mocking the older man. Marcus tried not to look over where Tomas was standing.

"Your parents didn't love you."

"I demand you tell me your purpose! Why are you here?!"

"None of the other boys loved you."

"Speak thy name!"

"The Vatican doesn't love you."

"Evil Spirit, filled with darkness, I beg of you..."

"Our dear father Tomas doesn't love you."

"... Tell me about your purpose. Give me your name." Marcus kept muttering. He tried not to think. Tried not to doubt. The demon would say anything to get him to crumble.

"You know he wants his woman in Chicago back. Why would he want you?"

Tomas started shouting his prayers louder. To drown out the demon's hurtful words.

"Holy Trinity, One God." the ex-priest chanted.

"Have mercy on us!"

"I mercy you, Marcus. I pity you. As does the father. You're pathetic."

"Holy Mary, pray for us!"

"Pray for us!" The children repeated on the landing outside the door.

"I am the most powerful being you've ever met. I can dig deeper than all the others before me." Andy grinned. His teeth seemed to be sharpening. His eyes glowed red in the dim room.

"I cast you out demon, by the Spirit and Grace of God! Behold, God has come upon thy kingdom!"

"You like that boy? Yeah, you like that? You worthless cunt!" Another voice spoke from Andy's mouth. But it wasn't Andy standing there anymore.

"Mister Mac Loughlin?" Marcus whispered in dread.

"Aye, it's me, you wee lad. Have you missed your old master?"

"Don't listen to it, Marcus! Holy Mary, pray for us!" Tomas interjected the stranger standing in the attic.

"Have you told 'em? 'Bout us, laddie boy?"

"This is not real. Prince of Darkness, I command thee..."

"Not real, eh? That's what ye said the fi'st time I called ye in me office. How old were you, you worthless scum?"

"Bastard! Shut up! Mother Mary, pray for us. Protect me from these vile imaginings! Prince of Darkness, your time has come! For once and for all, tell me your purpose! Give me thy name!?"

"Vile imaginings, ye say, eh? I didn't ken I imagined tearin' your arse all bloody over me desk. You starved for my cock is wha' I remember. You'ld do anything for a piece o' mouldy old bread."

Tomas threw a bucket of holy water over the creature. Andy had returned and screeched his lungs out. Trying to claw at the wetness on his face, screaming like he was being burned alive.

"They are on me!" Andy yelled. He started pulling off his shirt. Looking for something on his chest. Slapping his skin like he could see something that wasn't there. "They're inside me! Help me!" He wailed.

"Andy, we're here. There is nothing there!" Tomas tried to pull Andy's hands back before he scratched himself bloody. But he wouldn't stop.

"Bind him." Marcus roughly said. Throwing the cuffs from his back pocket before Tomas' feet.

"No! No! Don't! Please don't!" The man begged when Tomas manhandles him onto the floor. Marcus tried to block out the crying from outside. Still, they kept praying through their sobs. The gash on his cheek was drying. It pulled on his skin and he frowned deeply until he saw that Andy was secure.

Tomas pulled his hand back with a snap. "He tried to bite me." He said in disbelief to Marcus.

"Proceed." Was all Marcus replied.

After a deep breath, Tomas put his hands on the sides of Andy's head. Thumbs pointed towards each other on his forehead.

"Dark Angel, fallen from Grace. You are loved."

Andy started laughing through Tomas' words. The priest bravely continued on. Trying to ignore what the man kneeling in front of him started saying.

"Loved? Does he know?" Andy grinned at Marcus from beneath Tomas' arm. "He doesn't. Do you realize? He doesn't love you."

"Despairing Son, you are found."

"Tomas." A female voice interrupted him. Tomas halted for a second. It was Jessica sitting in front of him. "Don't do this to me."

Tomas continued without further hesitating even though Jessica kept struggling against her bonds and kept begging him.

"You left me to die." His abualita cried in Spanish. "It hurt so much! You lied to me, Tomas!"

"Hurting Soul, you are not alone."

"Holy Mother, Father and Son, forgive us." Marcus passionately intoned. Glad to see Tomas work through his worst nightmares without fear.

"Tomas." Marcus' eyes snapped up to see himself kneeling in front of Tomas. Tomas' voice haltered for a moment before continuing in Spanish. A sign he was going deeper within himself to find strength.

"You must be disgusted by what you heard. Let me explain." Tears spilt over the cheeks of demon-Marcus.

"Don't listen to it, Tomas. I'm right here."

"Madre de Dios..."

"I... I had to do what I had to do, Tomas. I had no food. The other boys they... They hurt me. Our master... He said I could earn some on the side. I wanted to do it, Tomas! I liked it!"

No. No. Not like this. Never like this. Marcus didn't want Tomas to find out in this manner. He doesn't want to hear the waver in Tomas' voice, but it was there. He would be Tomas' downfall.

"The first time he raped me... I couldn't sit for a week. I had to sleep on my side for two. But I got a piece of cheese. Cheese, Tomas!" Demon-Marcus seemed to de-age in front of their eyes. Until a young Marcus was crying openly in front of the priest.

"I could do it for you too, Sir. I've offered plenty before. It's the only way I get nice things, you know. Please, Tomas." The boy leaned forward and tried to nuzzle his face to Tomas' crotch. Tomas quickly took a step back. He was crying but bit the inside of his cheek to distract him so he could continue.

"I'm really good at it. I want you. Put it in my mouth, please." Demon-Marcus begged.

Marcus felt bile come up in his throat. This was revolting to look at.

"You are loved. You are loved." Tomas kept repeating. Looking deep into the boy's eyes. Marcus could see how much he meant those words. Because he was speaking them, not to the demon, but to the lost soul in his hands.

"Let me show you some love." The boy creepily smiled. Tomas' eyes rolled to the back of his head.

 

* * *

 

_I go out walkin' after midnight_

_Tomas awoke with a gasp outside the church again. The painted prints of the hands on the wall were dripping. The church was bleeding._

_  
Out in the moonlight, just like we used to do_

_The garden was decorated for a birthday party. Cake was rotting on paper plates. Pieces of gift wrapping flew around. A pinata was slowly dangling in the wind._

_  
I'm always walkin' after midnight_

_The gate of the church easily went open. There was nobody. No children's voices. No people sitting on the benches. He looked down at himself. He was still wearing the same clothing._

_  
Searchin' for you_

_Light streamed from underneath the curtains of the confessional. Tomas stepped inside and carefully opened the hatch. There was the demon-boy Marcus again._

_"Look." It said and pointed behind Tomas' head. Tomas slowly turned around. He was in an old grey office. Paint was peeling off the walls._  


_I walk for miles along the highway_

 

_"I wondered what hurt you the most. I think I've found it." the demon whispered with its acid breath in Tomas' ear. Horrified he saw the office door open. Child Marcus - a harsh line already formed around his mouth - stepped in._

_"You called for me, master Mac Loughlin?"_

_Tomas looked down. He was standing behind the desk. Without any say about his own body, he lifted his hand and gestured for the boy to come closer._

 

_  
Well, that's just my way of sayin' I love you_

 

_Marcus' face looked downfallen but determined. With forced steps, he came closer. Tomas' fingers found its way into the blond hair. He pulled at it. Hard. He guided the boy down on his knees._

_Repelled by what he was doing - he felt his member start to fill out with blood._

_No!_

_  
I'm always walkin' after midnight_

 

_"I'll do it better this time, Sir." The boy fearfully said. His hands opening Tomas' straining pants. He didn't want to see, but he couldn't look away._

_Taking another deep breath, Marcus swallowed down his cock as deep as his small mouth could take it. Tomas groaned at the wet and warm suction._

_No! He ripped himself away. The boy looked as if he had done something wrong. With trembling hands, he got up again._

 

_  
Searchin' for you_

 

_Why was he undressing? The boy dropped piece after piece of clothing on the floor until he was completely naked. Shivering and skinny he stepped closer to the desk. His body was so thin, Tomas could count every rib. His skin so pale, veins spread out like trees. Bruises too. It covered most of the child's body. Red cuts screamed at him from the softness from his arms._

_With one lost look, the boy leaned over the desk, gripping the edges tightly and displaying his backside._

_"Do with me what you want, please." He whispered._

_No!_  


_The record kept screeching over and over again._

  
_I stop to see a weepin' willow_   
_Cryin' on his pillow_   
_Maybe he's cryin' for me_   
_And as the skies turn gloomy_   
_Night winds whisper to me_   
_I'm lonesome as I can be_

 

* * *

 

"Tomas! Tomas!" Marcus yelled. The priest came back into consciousness.

"What has happened?" Was the first thing he brought out.

"Andy is knock-out and you were gone for nearly ten minutes. What did you see?"

"I... The demon wanted to hurt me. It pulled me back into... Horrible things."

"What happened? Did you let it win?"

"I don't think so... I pulled away before it got too far and then I awoke here again."

"What did it show you?"

"I... Marcus, I can't tell you that. Please, don't make me."

Marcus growled angrily. "Fine. We're due to a break anyway."

"What about Andy?"

"He's not going anywhere."

Marcus looked like he wanted to kick the unconscious man, but thought better of it before throwing the door open.

"Is it over?" Rose asked.

"Not yet." the older man barked before storming downstairs.

Tomas sighed and wiped his sweaty brow. This was going to get much worse before it got better. That he could tell without a doubt.

 

* * *

 

"Let me do that," Tomas said when he found Marcus in their shared bathroom poking at the cut on his face.

Without a word, Marcus went to sit on the side of the bathtub.

"Does it hurt?" the priest asked while he gently cleaned the wound.

"I had worse."

Marcus seemed to shrug all of it off in an instant. Tomas couldn't do that. He froze for a moment. His mind replaying the memories he had seen. Even more careful than before, he taped up the gash.

"Is there anything else?"

"Bruised ribs. I'm fine. You're not looking mighty fine yourself."

Tomas could clearly hear the worry underneath all that grumpiness. How could a soul - so clearly tortured for years and years - still be so caring for another human being?

"Just sweat and dust. I'll take a shower and then we can go down to eat something."

"Fine." Marcus got up to leave, but younger man panicked. "Don't!"

A frown was his only reply. Marcus looked down. Tomas had gripped his hand painfully with his own to prevent him from leaving.

"I can't bear for you to go away. Just... Stay. Please. I don't... I need..."

"I'm fine, Tomas."

"You need to stay close." He anxiously begged.

An inordinate time later, Marcus slowly nodded. Tomas could let go of his hand now.

"Do you want me to scrub your back or something?" the older man tried to joke the heavy sphere away.

"Just... Sit over there. I need to keep seeing you."

Marcus made his way to the toilet, closed the seat and sat down. Pointedly staring at the opposite side of the room.

"This is by far the weirdest thing you have me do," the man muttered before pretending to clean his nails.

Tomas wanted to thank him, but the gratefulness had closed his throat. The man sitting there was such a wonder.

The ex-priest's back stiffened when he heard clothes hitting the floor. The clink of a belt. The thud of shoes. A sock jumped into view in the corner of his eye. He needed all his strength not to turn around when the shower turned on.

When he heard Tomas' groan - at feeling the warm water gushing over his aching muscles - he burrowed his fingers deeper into his jeans. This was torture. He looked at the sock again and looked up right into the tall mirror standing next to the towel rack. His mouth ran dry.

The tanned unscarred back swam into his view. Hands - filled with soap - slid down over the strong sides. The muscled thighs. He was panting and trembling hard before he could tear his eyes away. His friend asked him company. Not to be ogled!

His self-loathing kept him occupied enough not to notice Tomas coming out of the shower. When the man was standing in front of him - purple towel draped around his hips - he looked up.

"Tomas..." Marcus started.

Tomas shushed him and kneeled between his knees. His hands pressing down on his thighs. He felt so warm. Every touch sent a blazing fire straight to his confused member. Did it need to go down and give his friend companionship? Is something else about to happen?

"Tomas," Marcus grunted. He pulled his face away when Tomas came closer. His lips missed his own narrowly. That didn't deter the younger man. His mouth trailed down to kiss the hickey once again and down to the V of his shirt exposing part of his chest.

"Tomas, _please_. You're confused."

"No estoy confundido." Tomas' lips ghosted in his neck.

"Yes, you are!" Marcus pushed the man between his legs away and tried to stand. But Tomas' hands on his thighs wouldn't let him.

"Why are you so convinced I don't want this of my own free will?"

"You saw things. You're compromised. I'm the one closest to you. I don't want..."

"What, Marcus? You don't want _what_?"

"For you to regret this later. To let me get close and..."

"You mean you don't want _me_ to get close."

The ex-priest was silent as a grave to that statement.

"I am not going to break your heart. Let me in, _please_?"

"I don't have a heart." Marcus bitterly tried to leave again. But his body wasn't working like it was supposed to obey him.

"Sé lo contrario. You have a heart and it's gorgeous. Let me love it."

The man sitting on the toilet seat incredously looked down. "Can you hear yourself speaking? You don't want this!"

"I do! I do want this!" Tomas grasped Marcus' hand and pressed it down hard on his aching stiffness. "Can't you feel it." He pulled back the hand and kissed it before pressing it down - this time - on his wildly beating heart. "Can't you feel it here?"

"Where are the others?"

"Downstairs. I told them we needed a break. They won't go to Andy either."

"They won't disturb us?"

"Not for a few hours at least or if Grace decided to show herself again."

"Don't call it, Grace. It's some other monster. It's a demon."

"I know. Giving it a name makes it easier."

"I thought that that was what we were trying to do. Giving it a name."

"Don't change the subject."

"Lock the bedroom door."

 

 


	9. Sell Your Soul To The Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Do or be willing to do anything, no matter how wrong it is, in order to achieve one's objective.

 

Marcus was wildly out of his depth here. They heard Caleb playing records in the distance so they knew they weren't completely alone on the first floor. Tomas was sitting next to him. Half a meter - it may be more - of air between them. His hands were sweaty and he wondered if this was how teenage girls felt when their Prom night drove to a close.

 

"And I can barely look at you. But every single time I do. I know we'll make it anywhere. Away from here." Tomas softly sang with the music. "Snow Patrol." He smiled.

 

Marcus had never heard of them, but it sounded about right.

 

"I'm not going to do anything you don't want."

 

The older man clenched his hands. He didn't know what he wanted. Tomas had locked the door and from there on he had forgotten what else was possible. So now they were awkwardly sitting next to each other on the side of the bed.

 

He wanted to say it was a bad idea.

 

Tomas turned to him.

The worst idea humanly possible.

 

He leaned closer.

 

Why was he not putting a stop to this?

 

He knew he was leaning away. Just like he had done with Peter at first on the boat.

 

Tomas wanted to kiss him.

 

Oh, God. Marcus wanted him to. For once, he knew - without a doubt - that he would die if he didn't feel those lips on his this very second. Clumsily he catapulted himself towards Tomas.

 

Their teeth clacked together. He pulled back. Confused.

 

Tomas smiled, his hand softly finding its way in the older man's neck so he could pull their faces back together. This time slower. More careful. The smile was still on his lips when the air between them disappeared.

 

 _This_. This was definitely interesting. Was the first thing Marcus thought. His eyes were still open. Tomas had closed his. Maybe he should too. He could only do so for a second. He needed to see the priest in front of him. He couldn't believe it any other way.

 

A wet tip touched his upper lip and with a gasp, Marcus pulled away. His hand already lifted to feel his mouth. Cheeks red, he avoided Tomas' gaze.

 

"Okay?" The brunet asked instead.

 

Marcus nodded. He might have a heart attack or maybe that smoking had finally got to him, but all in all, he was still alive. It could be worse. He could be crying too. The possibility was still on the table, though.

 

"You can touch me."

 

Only then did Marcus remember that Tomas was still only clad in the purple towel. His eyes slid down. This was so unfair. How could someone be so perfect? Have such a chiselled chest? He cast his eyes lower. His own body was far from that of the youth displaying his beauty in front of him.

 

Another song had started playing.

 

"Chasing Cars." Tomas smiled. His emotions clearly showing in his eyes.

 

"What are you, a jukebox?" Marcus huffed out. Great. _That_ was the first thing he could say in a moment as this.

 

"I love that. When you do that. You are so malhumorado, all the time and still so very gently. So very kind."

 

"I'm not kind."

 

"Yes, you are. What do you want, Marcus? Do you want to touch me? Do you want me to touch you?"

 

Tomas must have seen some of the alarm in Marcus' eyes and leaned a bit away in reply.

 

"Could you answer with yes or no? True or false?"

 

Marcus nodded. That would make things much easier.

 

"Do you want to stop?"

 

A moment.

 

"No."

 

"May I kiss you?"

 

" _Yes_."

 

Tomas kissed his neck and made his way up to the ex-priest's mouth.

 

"May I kiss you here?"

 

" _Yes_." Marcus sounded completely wrecked before his mouth got captured by that of the gorgeous man almost sitting in his lap.

 

"May I kiss you deeper, por favor?" Tomas' voice sounded like it was being dragged over sandpaper.

 

This time he didn't wait for an actual answer. He felt the mouth beneath his open. Just enough for his tongue to steal a taste. Marcus groaned loudly. When had his hands dragged Tomas against his chest?

 

"Mi amor, you taste divine." Tomas moaned while licking his way inside Marcus' mouth. The kisses were pressing Marcus on his back. Deeper and deeper into the soft bed covers.

 

"Wait. _Wait_." Marcus breathed out loudly. Tomas pulled back again. Frowning he waited a moment before his eyes cleared again. He went to lie beside Marcus. Their chests were rising and falling quickly as if they had just performed an exorcism or had been running ten miles.

 

"I don't..." He was torn. He didn't know what he wanted to do to Tomas. He didn't know what he wanted Tomas to do to _him_. "I don't want you to stop." Mixed signals. Yeah. He was the best at that. Put it on his exorcist resumé.

 

"The moment I do something you don't like. Or any other reason why you want to stop, say 'unicorn'." Tomas said.

 

"Unic..." Marcus started but Tomas was already kissing him again. This time he was more persistent. Less gentle. He definitely knew what he was doing. Marcus melted between every new kiss tasting of more and the next. The younger man pressed harder into his body on top of him. He could feel how they were both hard and rubbing together. Bravely he opened his mouth further and tried tasting Tomas' mouth.

 

The priest on top of him moaned and it had Marcus shivering from top to bottom. An extra hard grind was his reward.

 

"Can I...?" Tomas panted between kisses. His hand pulling at the hem of Marcus' long-sleeved black shirt. Shyly he nodded his consent. He assisted Tomas in pulling it over his head and then tried to distract the man by kissing him some more. Tomas would not be deterred. He pulled back so he could take a good look at the body underneath him.

 

Marcus felt the ridiculous urge to cover himself up with his hands. He had never before felt so naked. What was Tomas thinking? He had seen Marcus before without clothes. He knew that this... This body was what he was getting. Did he want it still?

 

Judging by the hungry look in Tomas' eyes. He did.

 

"Tus besos me enloquecen." the younger man sighed deeply before diving back in to capture Marcus' mouth. His lips felt swollen and were probably red and spit-slicked by the  kissing they had been doing. The clock seemed to speed faster than usual during their precious time. "Quiero saborearte." Tomas continued.

 

It took a moment for Marcus to translate, but when he did, he keened loudly.

 

" _Christ_ , Tomas!" His nails dug deeper into the shoulders above him. "Every time... Every time you speak Spanish..." Marcus moaned and bared his throat to Tomas. "Every time gets me hard as iron." He confessed.

 

He felt rather than see Tomas' smile curling against his clavicle.

 

"Why do I get... The feeling that you're going to - ugh - abuse that knowledge. _Bugger_."

 

"Quiero hacerte el amor. Let me take off your pants?"

 

Marcus frantically reached for his zipper. It was a fucking button-down. His fingers weren't working. These pants had to banished as soon as possible. Tomas' batted his hands away and slowly slid down his body.

 

"Let me." His breath ghosted over the happy trail underneath Marcus' bellybutton. The older man pressed the palms of his hands against his eyelids. He couldn't take this. Tomas had him begging and sobbing in no time. Quid pro quo. He had been barking commands at the priest for the last six months and here he was... At his mercy.

 

"I'm completely at your mercy." He choked out. Telling Tomas in no uncertain terms that he had him in a deadlock if he ever knew one before.

 

Tomas climbed back up to kiss him. The kissing distracted him from the hands making short work with the buttons of his pants. His erection jumped up underneath his briefs. God, he was pathetically eager and he wasn't reciprocating.

 

He pulled his hands back from his eyes. The rush of the dim light streaming inside the room had him blinking for a moment until he could ascertain Tomas hanging above him. Mustering all the courage in his body, he let his hands touch those broad shoulders. Slid them down over the strong back. Tomas shuddered underneath his hands. Eyes burning in his own.

 

Down, down, down they went until they reached the towel. Question in his eyes, he waited. Tomas grinned and lifted himself back on his knees. His hands gripped the towel. The priest looked in his eyes while he slowly pulled it away. Baring himself to his friend to see all.

 

Marcus told himself, he wouldn't stare. He failed spectacularly.

 

"Marcus, breathe." Tomas smiled against his lips again.

 

He gulped audibly before kissing back and remembered how to pull oxygen back into his lungs.

 

"Quiero saborearte, Marcus?"

 

"Where?"

 

" _Everywhere_."

 

Reminding himself he was a grown-man - one that had killed people and had been through nightmares most people couldn't even begin to imagine - he tried to keep still when Tomas slithered lower between his legs. His mouth sucking and kissing from throat to sternum. His back strung tight like a bow when his nipple got caught between teeth before travelling further down.

 

Tomas kissed the skin underneath his bellybutton. Oh, God. He was going to cry. Hot air floated over his rock-hard cock. Fingers curled around the elastic band and slowly pulled to reveal the older man's erection. He shut his eyes. He couldn't deal with the disappointment he would surely see in Tomas' eyes.

 

When he heard a loud hiss, his eyes snapped back open and he looked down to see Tomas curling into himself. Forehead resting on Marcus' thigh. One hand gripping the base of his own hard member tightly. All muscles tight, he had stopped breathing after his long hiss. Slowly he relaxed again and sheepily looked up.

 

"That was close." He bashfully ducked his head before continuing to look at Marcus' erection.

 

Had he just... Nearly come from... Marcus' head thudded back on the pillow when he felt a wet swipe on the base of his cock.

 

" _Shite_!" He cursed. The soft touches were nearly painful for his touch-starved skin. "Slow, please." He begged.

 

Tomas nodded against the inside of his thigh. The man was really taking advantage of having Marcus at his mercy. Taking a good long look too while he was at it. Too late to cover up now.

 

"Thank you."

 

Marcus looked back down. "Why?"

 

"Sharing this part of you with me."

 

He wanted to reply something snarky but Tomas licked his angry-looking cock once again. This time the tip of his tongue glided around the ridge underneath his prick.

 

Tomas muttered something lowly again in Spanish. Marcus heard something like 'verga' but didn't think too much on it. He was too far gone.

 

It may have been a warning for what happened next.

 

He shouted when his cock got swallowed down.

 

" _Fuck_!" He cried out and looked at Tomas. The younger man hollowed out his cheeks and glanced up. The little wrinkles in his eye corners crinkled from pleasure. He was enjoying this. Tomas sucked. Hard.

 

"Fuck! Fuck! Tomas! Uni..." Marcus shouted in panic. He was going to come. Oh, God. Why was he so useless at this.

 

Tomas halted his proceedings and in the blink of an eye, he had pressed their bodies close. His leg slotted between Marcus' legs. Their pricks sliding next to one another easily with pre-cum and spit.

 

"Tomas." He warned. He was on the edge. He was so close.

 

A hand worked its way between them and closed both of their hard cocks together. It tightened and Tomas pumped his hips up and down.

 

"Marcus, ven por mí."

Marcus froze. His toes curled. His mouth opened in a silent scream. This time he tried to hold his eyes open. Seeing those dark brown eyes heavy-lidded in pleasure above him only heightened the sensation. He had never come so hard and long before in his life.

 

The cum splattered on his chest - nearly reaching his chest - in long heavy spurts. And the sounds he made... Wailing like a wounded animal while Tomas kept thrusting their pricks together in his hand until Marcus was completely spent.

 

His body relaxed back into the bed. He felt himself begin to soften against Tomas' hardness.

 

Terror-stricken he tried to summon the strength to lift his hand and wrap it around Tomas who had not yet been seen to satisfaction. Not again.

 

Tomas batted his hand away.

 

"It's not an obligation." He whispered while softly kissing the sweat on Marcus' face away.

 

"I know. I _want_ to." the older man confessed. Yes, way out of his depth right here.

 

Tomas saw the indecision and picked up Marcus' hand. Hands linked they wrapped them around the jutting cock.

 

"Like this." the priest said, eyes dark, he guided Marcus' hand. His strokes were slow, with a tighter squeeze towards the end. "Just like this."

 

"Slow." Marcus nodded in awe. Tomas' own hand fell away. Now he held himself up above Marcus so they could both look between their bodies.

 

" _Mierda_." the younger man groaned lowly. "Tu mano..." he trailed off in a choking sob.

 

" _Yeah_? You like this?" There was his courage again. He had found it again in the silent worshipping of the man above him.

 

" _Marcus_..." Tomas started to thrust faster. His eyes closed from pleasure.

 

"Mírame, Tomas. _Look at me_." Marcus pleaded.

 

Tomas looked at him. Sweat rolled from his chest and mixed with the semen drying on their chests. He kept grinding his cock harder inside Marcus' tightening hands. His movements faltered and his mouth dropped open.

 

" _Ah_! _Ah_! Mar... Marcus!"

 

Marcus couldn't blink. Couldn't look away. He might have heard the voice of God again in this moment. Wetness spread over his hand, making Tomas slide better through his fingers. He sobbed and crashed their mouths together. Trying to breathe life back in by kissing them breathless.

The older man cleared his throat. "You... You're louder than I thought you were going to be." He remarked smartly.

 

Tomas chuckled exhaustedly, "So you have thought about it?"

 

"It's your fault."

 

"Is it now?" The priest rolled them on their sides and shared a couple more soft kisses.

 

"Going on for a run and then coming back all sweaty. Starting to do crunches... Some people actually need to be removed from temptation."

 

"Have you touched yourself while thinking of me?"

 

Marcus' red face was an answer in itself.

 

"I want you to." Tomas continued. "I love your face when you come. I want to see only my name pass your lips when you reach nirvana."

 

Marcus laughed. The sound surprisingly ripped itself from his chest. He felt so relieved. So carefree. He pressed closer to Tomas and kissed him all by his own initiative.

 

"You make me happy."

 

Tomas' answering smile beamed so brightly it could've blinded Marcus.

 

"Then I've succeeded in this life."

 

* * *

 

Marcus never thought that this could be a part of his life. They had cleaned up and taken a short nap. He had awoken to Tomas kissing the scars on his knuckles from his right hand.

 

"What are you doing?" He grumbled. He was so comfortably warm. Nesting even closer underneath Tomas' arm.

 

"Loving you."

 

That gave Marcus a giant lump in his throat. He watched how Tomas continued kissing his fingertips, his wrist and the inside of his palm.

 

"I never knew there was such a tender man inside you."

 

"I never knew there was such a soppy romantic inside you."

 

" _Excuse_ me? Soppy _romantic_? Have you met me?" Marcus retorted indignantly.

"I know you liked it. You like this."

 

"True."

 

It seemed like Tomas was close to saying or asking something else but the slamming of a door interrupted them. Their bubble burst. They were not alone and there was still so much work to do.

 

"We should get up," Tomas said instead. Eyes full of regret.

 

They slowly made their way back into their clothes. Marcus couldn't stop himself from enjoying the fleeting touches they shared when they helped each other button up.

 

"After this... Can we...?"

 

Marcus nodded. "Yes. After this, we can explore this further."

 

"And talk?"

 

"And talk."

 

That got him swiftly kissed before both of them straightened out. Ready to face the day again.

 

With sorrow, the ex-priest pulled the bedroom door closed behind them. He had a feeling their slice of Heaven would be a long way off in the future. But that was just him being a doomsday thinker.

 

* * *

 

"Tomas!  Tomas!" Marcus shouted. It seemed silly that only four hours ago, he had felt so happy. How did they get there?

 

After leaving the bedroom, they had gathered the others - who had been lounging about - and gone back into the attic room. Andy was there waiting for them. They made sure he tried eating and drinking something, but he threw it all up.

 

The voice of the demon had started again and it had threatened to kill Andy if they tried to get rid of it. That didn't keep Marcus and Tomas from trying.

 

They had been screaming for hours at the demon to reveal itself. It had shown horrible things to the both of them, but they had pushed through. Pulling strength from their knowledge of what they had shared was pure and full of love. The demon tried to cheapen it, but it didn't work. They could almost smell a victory. Smoke was curling out of Andy's ears and mouth. The presence was shrivelling up with no more fear to feed it. The others stood behind them - full of determination - and ready to see it through to the very end.

 

That's when it all went wrong.

 

Demon-Andy had pulled free from his restraints. Breaking his own thumbs had him slipping the cuffs off like they were nothing. With its claw-like hands, it gripped Marcus tight.

 

"If I go down. So does he." It hissed.

 

"Have mercy on us!" The others chanted.

 

"Let him go, you vile creature! Be gone! What is thy name!" Tomas shouted. His eyes carefully following the fingers wrapped around that precious neck.

 

"You don't love this man. He's useless to you. You had your fun. I could give you so much more. What is it that you most desire, hmm?" The Demon asked.

 

Before Tomas could stop himself - he had a flitting thought - quickly he pushed it away. It was too late.

 

"Aha... You think you can have that? You can't. This man is broken."

 

Marcus didn't know what they were talking about, but those words made his heart freeze up. What did Tomas want most in this world? What couldn't he offer him? His legs started to give out on him. Oxygen was in short supply these days.

 

"You're wrong! Once he's heale..."

 

"Healed? He'll never heal. He's useless. A whore!"

 

"Shut your mouth!" Tomas screamed. Trying to defend his friend.

 

"Tomas..." Marcus tried warning him. They were getting too close again. "Remove yourself from the situation."

 

The Demon hissed and his throat closed off even more. He was choking. Black spots started appearing. He was glad for Tomas to be the last thing he would see before he succumbed. He tried struggling once more, but then Marcus fainted.

 

He woke up. It could have only been a second or five or so that he had passed out. He lifted his cheek from the dusty floor and looked back towards Andy. Tomas was clutching the Demon's head again.

 

What had he done? They were _so_ close!

 

Marcus spread open his Bible on a new page. Time to get out the big guns.

 

 


	10. Deal With The Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. An agreement made by an individual with the Devil in which a person agrees to carry out evil deeds in return for wealth or power.
> 
> II. Pact with the Devil.

_"I believe we haven't met yet. Officially." A voice sounded to Tomas' right. He was sitting on one of the benches outside the church he had seen several times by now. He slowly turned and his eyes turned wide. There was Grace. Her hair braided with pretty yellow ribbons. She slowly poured out some tea._

_"Sugar?" The girl asked._

_"Grace?"_

_"That's not my name." And she offered Tomas the teacup. He accepted it on automatic pilot whenever someone was reached something, they just took it. He looked down at the cup. There was tar inside and cockroaches crawling over his hands. He dropped the cup. He saw it fall several times as in a dream before it appeared anew in his hands. This time with tea inside._

_"You are harder to fool than most. Drink."_

_Tomas put down the cup, it clattered in its saucer when it hit the table. There was no chance in Hell he would drink that._

_"What is your name?"_

_Suddenly Grace was gone and instead a Native American was sitting in her stead. Painted circles stared down on Tomas._

_"They killed all my people."_

_"No." The priest covered his mouth horrified._

_"I killed my son." There was a woman sitting there now._

_"She was so pretty when she died. Rocking in the wind on my noose." A young man told Tomas._

_"Stop it! What are you?!"_

_"What am I? What. Am. I?! I am too powerful for the likes of you, priest!"_

_A black shadow crept over the clearing. The church was on fire. Tomas could hear people screaming inside. Banging on the doors. Begging to be freed._

_"This is not real," Tomas muttered to himself and tried to drown the sounds out._

_"Isn't it?" The dark shadow asked. It's eyes - red and glowing - the only true sign there was a creature sitting there. Staring at him._

_"What do you want?"_

_"Haven't you found out about now?"_

_"You feed off of people. You are attracted to something in them. What is it!?"_

_"What do you think it is? What do you felt when you were inside them? What do they all have in common, Tomas?"_

_Tomas looked deep inside himself. He tried to look past the horrified emotions that had filled him when he had witnessed or carried out murders. And tried to see deep inside their characters. Their pure chore. What had they felt that invited this Demon to enter?_

_"They all felt a sense of worthlessness... Despair. They felt powerless."_

_"Jackpot."_

_The man could just tell the Demon was grinning with how this conversation was going. He racked his brain. What Demon fed off worthlessness?_

_"You enter them that way and then what? You fester inside?" Tomas demanded to know._

_"I feed off them until I've had my fill." Its evilness crept over Tomas' body. He felt vile. Like he would never be clean again._

_"Take on a form! I command you!"_

_"Hello, Tomas," Marcus spoke. The man was sitting next to him. Dressed in black including the white collar._

_"The red eyes gave it away. Nice try, though." Tomas bit out._

_"This is what you want most, is it not?"_

_"No."_

_"Your deepest desire is for Marcus to love you. I could love you. We could stay here forever."_

_"No. You're not Marcus."_

_"I could be. For you, Tomas." Demon-Marcus stroked his chin with a sharp fingernail. "I would do anything for you."_

_"Could you die? Leave and never come back?" Tomas' head was hurting with trying to remember all the names of the Demons he knew._

_"Your Marcus will never love you. I have seen inside his heart. It's too damaged."_

_"I don't care! I rather have him damaged than not."_

_"How romantic."_

_"Let me go and leave!"_

_"Uh uh uuh, Tomas. I am afraid you're stuck with me forever."_

_"Let me go!" The priest jumped up and tried running away. The floor fell away until he was running on water in total blackness._

_"This is eternity, Tomas." The blackness spoke. Marcus stepped forward. A white light followed his every step._

_"Join me. I can feel your gift. Together we can create so much."_

_"Fuck you!" Tomas cursed out loud. "Belial."_

_They were in the middle of a forest now. All colours were gone. Tomas could only see in black and white with splashes of grey._

_"You're very smart. But knowing my name gives you no power." Demon-Marcus smiled._

_"God have mer..."_

_"God won't be able to save you here. Nor can Marcus get you back."_

_"If... If you are here. Are you still inside Andy? Are you still haunting the house? The island?"_

_"If I am here. I am here. We're stuck here together."_

_Tomas' thoughts were racing. If they were here together, did that mean the others were safe?_

 

* * *

 

"When is he coming back?" Andy asked. His hands feeling Tomas' forehead.

Marcus couldn't talk. He was too occupied with praying and thinking.

 

The moment Tomas went into the Shadow Realm, the demonic presence had disappeared. Did that mean that Tomas was in there all alone with a Demon?

 

The thought was just too horrible to think. Tomas needed to return.

 

* * *

 

_Tomas flew around and crashed into a line of church chairs. The wood splintered beneath his aching body._

_"Kill me if you want. I'm not going back." He spat out blood and grinned his red teeth at Demon-Marcus. "You want to keep me here? Fine. But I'm keeping you here too." And he laughed out loud to the rage of the Demon._

_Seems like he had finally found his real exorcism gift._

_"It's just a matter of time. Your lover is calling you back. Can't you hear him?" With a wave of his arm, Demon-Marcus let the noise - the others were making - stream in through the loudspeakers in the church._

 

"Tomas? Tomas? Please, come back." He heard Andy begging. A female was crying in the background and he heard someone else. Praying.

 

_"Listen. He thinks you're going to need the exorcism soon."_

_Tomas hoped Marcus wouldn't do it. An exorcism was too dangerous. Not while he was still here. Not while he was not even possessed._

_"Marcus! Marcus!" The priest shouted._

_"He can't hear you. Shout, little bird. Shout. Let me hear your voice fail." Demon-Marcus grinned. He was nonchalantly leaning against the wall. Like he had all the time in the world._

_Tomas roared and bowled himself into the creature with all his might while shouting the names of all the Saints he could list. The Demon hit him right in the face and the man propelled backwards. Hitting the altar with his back. He scrambled around, gripped the golden chandelier tight, weighed it in his hand before lifting it and pointing at the Demon._

_"I can do this all night long."_

_"But can you do this for eternity?" The Demon smiled. Teeth sharp he flew upon Tomas' mortal body._

 

* * *

 

"Marcus look!" Verity shouted and pointed at Tomas. Blood was trickling down his nose and seeping from the corner of his mouth. A gash suddenly appeared on his forehead and bruises rapidly started spreading and swelling in his face.

 

Urgently Marcus ripped open Tomas' shirt to see the work that was being done to his friend.

 

"It's killing him." He whispered aghast.

 

* * *

 

_With shaking hands Tomas tried lifting himself from the floor. Something inside his body was hurting so bad, he could barely breathe._

_"Hear. They know you are dying."_

_Tomas listened. His hands were bruised and his heart shrivelled when he heart Marcus' anguished cries for Tomas to return._

_"I rather die and keep you here forever. You can't kill me. I made this your prison." The priest smiled._

_"Then this will be your everlasting Purgatory and I shall punish you all the time."_

_"You're ugly, Belial! And weak! You'll never get rid of me!" With another burst of strength - he didn't know where he kept getting it from - he lifted back on his feet. "Let's do it again. Once more around the room."_

 

* * *

 

Marcus couldn't perform the exorcism. He wasn't sure his friend was possessed. But what he did know, was that Tomas was fighting with all his might inside the Shadow Realm.

 

"Fight harder, Tomas! Fight it with everything you've got and come back to me!"

 

"You can do it, Tomas!" Shelby shouted.

 

"Kick his ass!" Verity shouted.

 

Rose kept her fingers on Tomas' pulse. It was going mad. Andy came back from the kitchen with a luke-warm cloth to clean off the blood.

 

"We are here and we will care for you, Tomas. How long it may take." The man murmured while gently sponging off the face of the priest.

 

* * *

 

_Tomas' heart filled with love and pride at hearing his friends defend him so. They would take care of his body. He only had to worry about what was happening inside this place._

_"You have no power, Tomas. Give in."_

_He was dead on his feet but lifted his trembling fists anyway. He stretched one hand straightforward, flattened it and then made a come-hither move. When he got back, he must force Marcus to watch the Matrix with him._

* * *

 

"Tomas. Tomas. Tomas." Marcus kept praying with his face pressed into his friend's hands. It had been hours. Still no sign except for the priest getting beat up in the Shadow Realm.

 

"I need you." the older man cried softly.

 

* * *

 

"I need you."

 

 

_Tomas looked up. Had he heard that right? Another chair sailed his way and he ducked behind a pillar._

_"Marcus?" He asked out loud._

 

"Please, Tomas. I... I..."

 

 

_Tomas felt something burning in his right hand. He looked at it. He saw only blood. He spread his fingers, trying to ignore the bits of plaster falling from the ceiling and trying to hit him in the head. A tiny speck of light was glowing in the middle of his palm._

_"Marcus!" Tomas shouted._

* * *

 

"You need to get him back!" Harper yelled at Marcus. They all saw that Tomas' body worsened over time.

 

"I... I don't know how." Marcus was at a loss. all his experiences. all the pain he had suffered. Nothing had prepared him for this. For losing his best friend. His lover.

 

"Remind him how important he is to you. Get him back with only things you two could now. Remind him!"

 

* * *

 

"Do you remember how angry you were at me for giving up with Casey after a while? With Angela? When I told you I didn't have any powers anymore? That she was fully integrated and we could never save her? You saved her, Tomas. You did."

 

 

_Tomas ducked behind another pillar when the painted windows rained down around him. A shard embedded itself deeply into his upper arm. He cursed._

 

"And I got so mad at you when you threw out my Snickers. Remember? You said that if I wasn't about to die from a nicotine poisoning, I would go out with diabetes instead."

 

 

_Even deep down in this Hell, Tomas cracked a smile at that. The resulting fight had been funny once they had calmed down. Marcus had agreed that Tomas was in charge of the food supply from then on. The burning in his hand started again. Demon-Marcus snarled and threw burning candles at him from behind the stone walls. The wax dripped on his skin, but he felt less of the pain he normally would have felt._

 

"And then... I... I realized I was attracted to you when I found you asleep on the couch. You must think me a creep when you discovered I started drawing you, but your eyes... Your eyebrows. They mesmerize me. Your beautiful lips. I knew that I wanted to draw them forever if I couldn't kiss them."

 

 

_Tomas never knew. The light in his palm was growing._

 

"I tried to ignore how I felt for so long. I thought I could never have you. Could never have your love. I was so strict. So angry all the time. You were right. I did try to push you away. I didn't want you close, because when I get close to innocent souls, I destroy them. This is all my fault. You were influenced by me to this kind of work. I am so sorry."

 

 

_Full of wonder, Tomas lifted his hand. He was holding a sword made of light._

_"What is that? How did you get that?"_

_The priest felt his wounds were starting to heal. He hoped the others could see it too._

* * *

 

"It's working! Look!" Rose pronounced perplexed.

 

Marcus looked up, trying to ignore his embarrassment at confessing his beloved memories in front of the others, the bruises were indeed lightening up. The bleeding from the gash had stopped

 

"Keep doing what you're doing!"

 

* * *

 

_"Love will conquer. I have been granted the use of the sword of the light bringer and I will take you down with me!" Tomas shouted. Strength fully returned now he ran towards the shrinking Marcus-Demon._

_"This is not possible!" It shrieked._

 

"Tomas... I... I love you."

 

 

_The sword ripped through the underbelly of the monster. It shriek of terror spread out like nightmares only could inside Tomas' consciousness._

_Flames were erupting from the Demon and the stench made Tomas nearly throw up. He twisted the sword._

* * *

 

"Tomas... I... I love you."

 

There it was. The truth plainly spoken. Marcus closed his eyes. It was up to Tomas now.

 

Suddenly an agonised scream ripped through the air. The house rattled and the candles blew out when a gust of wind passed through the cracks of the old attic room.

 

"What's happening?!" Verity screamed. Trying to be heard over the rumbling thunder that seemed to roll through every piece of wood and glass and stone that kept this home together.

 

Andy fainted.

 

"Andy!" Truck and Shelby were immediately by his side. "He's still breathing."

 

"He's winning," Marcus whispered once the sounds started dying down. "He's winning. Good job, Tomas! Tomas, kill it and come back to me. I love you."

 

* * *

 

"Tomas, kill it and come back to me. I love you."

 

 

_"If I'm going... You're going with me." The Demon gargled through its tarlike blood pooling from its mouth. With a mighty roar, he punched his claw through Tomas' chest._

_"I'll take your heart with me." Was the last thing it said before it evaporated in black smoke._

_Tomas fell on his knees. Looking down at the gaping wound in his chest._

_Blackness took over._

* * *

 

Tomas' body gave a giant shock and then fell silent. All was silent at once. Not even an insect could be heard humming in the background.

 

"Tomas?" Marcus shook his friend. It was over. He was sure it was over. Tomas was still breathing. If he could only just wake up. "Tomas?"

 

"Is it over?" Andy asked after he had awoken.

 

"I think so," Harper said. They were all standing in a circle around Marcus shaking the priest's body.

 

"Tomas? Tomas? No! No!"

 

"Is he... _Dead_?" Shelby asked anxiously.

 

"Wake up, Tomas. Wake up. I love you." Marcus pressed their lips together. He could feel his lover breathing, but why wouldn't he move. Why wouldn't he wake up?

 

* * *

 

"It's been four days, Marcus. He's been in a coma for four days. I don't think he'll come back." Bennett spoke on the phone.

 

"Just give me one more day."

 

* * *

 

"It's been six days."

 

"I know."

 

* * *

 

"We will take care of him. It's the least we can do." Andy said from the doorway.

 

"It will never be enough." Marcus quietly spoke. He hadn't left Tomas' side for over twelve days.

 

* * *

 

"Two weeks, Marcus. You are needed in Chicago."

 

"Expect me the day after tomorrow," Marcus replied in a flat voice before disconnecting.

 

* * *

 

"What are you doing, Harper?" Marcus asked when he came back from the bathroom.

 

"I'm reading him a story. So he won't be lonely while you are gone."

 

"Will you take care of him for me?"

 

"We will," Verity spoke  softly from just outside the door.

 

* * *

 

Marcus was driving. His thoughts refused to be drowned so he turned up the radio.

 

A song started playing. It made him nearly drive into the ditch of the abandoned road.

 

_To think I might not see those eyes_

_It makes it so hard not to cry_

_And as we say our long goodbyes_

_I nearly do_

_Light up, light up_

_As if you have a choice_

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you dear_

 

The ex-priest parked his car by the side of the highway. And if you would drive past him, you would see a man screaming at his steering wheel. Crying loudly and hitting the dashboard over and over again.

This was his eternal suffering.

One more soul down the drain and it was all his fault.

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
